Donor Stories
Bequests
Supporting Those Who Serve
Through a planned gift, Mary H. Grant, CCAS MPhil, PhD, established the "Grant-Ahart Navy ROTC Prize," an endowed prize awarded annually to an undergraduate Navy ROTC student, with a preference for those interested in international affairs.
GW Alumnus Makes Giving Back a Priority
For 40 years, Keith Greene has given his time to the George Washington University, so it only makes sense that he's also leaving a financial legacy to his alma mater.
Furthering a Legacy With a Future Gift
From the classroom to the emergency room to the ballroom, Diane Luckmann, School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD '59, has always loved to learn — and been inspired to lead.
A Volunteer’s Legacy
Char Beales, BA’73, CCAS, and her husband, Howard, a professor in the GW School of Business, share why their involvement at GW has been so meaningful to them and how that led them to establish the Char Beales Endowed Professorship of Accountability in Journalism in GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs.
Alumni Say Thanks Through a Planned Gift to GW
For alumni Jim and Wendy Core, that place is the Elliott School of International Affairs. The school helped launch their careers, introduced them to lifelong friends, and connected them to their future spouses—each other.
Our Legacy: A Perfect Fit
GW Psychology Professor Carol Sigelman shares why she and her late husband, former GW Professor Lee Sigelman, established bequests to support the areas of GW that mean the most to them.
Fifty Years of GW Memories
Les, BA ’63, JD ’68, MBA ’80, and Kathy Megyeri, MA ’69, MA 82, share how they met at GW, their first date, and how their connection to their alma mater has grown stronger since supporting the university in their estate plan.
Marc Albert, board co-chair for the GW Museum, discusses what led to his decision to support the arts at GW through his estate plan.
Giving to Make the World a Better Place
As an environmental lawyer, pioneering public health professional, and former head of Washington, D.C.’s disease prevention and treatment agency, Marie Sansone, BA ’78, has built an impressive career helping those in need. Read More
Buzzing With Discovery: Harlan Bequest Supports New Generation of Scientists
Student researchers in GW’s Department of Biological Sciences are tackling some of the world’s greatest scientific mysteries thanks to a gift from 1935 alumnus Wilbur V. Harlan. Read More
Professor Roger Kennedy: Telling the American Story
Former GW professor of American Studies Roger G. Kennedy held many important responsibilities during his long and successful career: he served six U.S. presidents, brought Dorothy's ruby slippers to the Smithsonian Institution, and opened doors to a GW education. Read More
Spheres of Influence: Sylven Beck and the Impact of a Life
Sylven Beck has made a career of influencing others. But not in the way one might expect in the nation's capital: For the last 30 years, Beck has been a professor of elementary education at the George Washington University. Read More
Alumna's Bequest Will Benefit Distance-Learning Students, Memorialize Aunt
Annetta Weiss, BA '65 always knew she wanted to give back, but the where, why, and how of philanthropy was intimidating. Read More
A Donor's Perspective: The Gift of Giving to GW, By Kathy and Les Megyeri
GW supporters Les and Kathy Megyeri share why they are inspired to give. Read More
Beneficiary Designations
Alumnus Tom Curtis: Giving Back, Looking Forward
GW looks much different from when Tom Curtis attended in the 1960s, but he believes the heart of the university remains unchanged: students and faculty who want to make a difference in the world. Read More
Edward and Lucia Vest: The Value of Education
Motivated by a family value of education, Edward and Lucia Vest chose to give back to support future generations of teachers. Read More
CGAs
Economics Informs Artist's Creative Gift to GW
You don't need a PhD in economics to understand the benefits of making a planned gift. Just ask Bill Snow, an accomplished painter who also has three degrees, including a doctorate in economics, from GW.
Do As Much Good As You Can
Mildred Reynolds, Ed.D. '78, credits her family for the spirit of philanthropy that has inspired her to give back to the people and institutions that have influenced her life, especially the George Washington University. Read More
Dirk and Judy Brady: The Power to Prevail
"I never thought I'd be admitted to GW in the first place," says Dirk Brady. "But they accepted me, and I was able to get a wonderful education. In that sense, GW has helped form my whole life." Read More
CRTs
'GW Man' Takes Pride in Supporting Future Students
"My father was a newspaper deliveryman. He was the guy the kids delivering papers worked for," Baraff said. "My father was the hardest working man I knew. My parents did everything they could for me — but I didn't look to them for help with college." Read More
Gift Provides 'Meaningful Education'
To hear William "Bill" Oakley, MS GWSB '71, tell it, his time at GW helped put rugs under his feet and a roof over his head — so he's giving it all back and then some. Read More
Real Estate
A Legacy for Women at GW
Shannon Mouton Gray, MVC BA ’90, was inspired to give back and support female students at GW by her experiences studying at Mount Vernon College.
Thirty Years and Counting
David Berg, BS '68 has supported George Washington University for over 30 years. His gift of real estate opens doors at GW to students like Amzaray Ahmed, BS '14: "It's nice to know there's someone out there who cares. It's a real person out there who wants to help," says Amzaray Ahmed, BS '14. Read More
Our Values, Our Home, Our GW Legacy
David Whitcombe was able to honor his wife's legacy, receive a lifetime income, and support future generations of GW-all with an unusual gift. Read More
Professor James King: Leaving a Legacy
Professor Emeritus of German, double GW alum and long-term GW Libraries Development board member James King reflects on what life at GW was like in the 1940s and how to have the most impact on GW's future. Read More
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
GW Alumni Donors Answer the Call
In 1988, Dr. Julianne Thomas, CCAS BA '67, received a call from GW's annual fund asking for a pledge. The former zoology major turned pediatrician said she would give, but only to an endowed scholarship for students in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Read More
Impact of Gifts
Professor Thomas Mallon: Bringing the Arts to Life
Professor of English Thomas Mallon reflects on how one gift has enormously impacted GW's Creative Writing Program. Read More