Jonathan P. Alcott is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who spent over fifty years in the restaurant business.

Jonathan has a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he is a member of the Southeastern Society. He is a strong financial supporter of Southeastern. His name is on a classroom in the Paige Patterson building, and the library’s computerized catalog is named after him: All Library Catalog Of Theological Treatise—ALCOTT! Jonathan has received the Joseph of Arimathea Award for his generosity not only to the school but also to its students. He is also the largest supporter of New Life Baptist Seminary in El Salvador, which has strong ties to Southeastern.

Jonathan has a passion for art. He put together an avant garde collection of North Carolina art, which has been on loan to several museums in the southeast. His award-winning photography has appeared in shows around the world. And he has designed contemporary furniture that has been in several galleries in Raleigh.

Jonathan has always wanted to be a skydiver. Only one thing has gotten in his way: he is terribly afraid of heights.

Jonathan is the author of Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World: Memoir of a Small-Town Boy Who Dreamed of Success and Achieved It, and several short story collections, including Helen’s Love, and On the Farm, The Road Up Ahead, and The Return.