Mr. Geoffrey Ottaway '69

Geoffrey M. Ottaway was born in Grundy, VA and moved to Roanoke, VA where he attended Roanoke Catholic School and then Cave Spring High School. At Roanoke College, he was the President of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, president of the Sophomore class, ran cross country and outdoor track, and was Business Manager of the Brackety-Ack and Rawenoch. Ottaway earned his Bachelor of Arts  degree in 1969 majoring in Spanish.

While attending Roanoke College, Ottaway worked the night shift at the Avis Rent-A-Car washing and renting out vehicles. After Roanoke, he began working there full time and began learning the business from his predecessor, T.E. Roberts. Ottaway ended up purchasing the franchise from Roberts in 1979 where he felt he was in the right place at the right time. He didn't stop there. He began acquiring additional Avis and Budget franchises in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas and now owns a total of 17 franchises. Ottaway is also the Managing Partner of A & M Enterprises that invests in properties throughout the Roanoke Valley.

Ottaway is very active in the business community and  extremely well-respected among his colleagues and friends. He is a member of various boards in the Roanoke Valley and is known by other board members as the person who asks the difficult questions - the one who always keeps the main goal in mind and helps to find a way to achieve it. His involvement on these local boards has helped to shape the community around him, directly affecting others in many positive ways. A devoted Roanoke College alumnus, Ottaway is a Lifetime Distinguished Associate, has established the Frank E. Snow Foreign Language Endowment known as the Snow-Patterson Foreign Language Endowment, and was instrumental in helping to complete the Language Lab Computing Center. He will tell you that to be successful in life, never give up...ever.

Geoffrey and his wife, Martha, live in Roanoke, Virginia. He has two children, Matthew Ottaway and Amy Ottaway Myers, and four grandchildren, Liam and Charlotte Ottaway, and Andrew and Lauren Myers. 

Geffrey Ottaway received the Roanoke College Medal in 2013.