Advocating the Experience for Study Abroad — Retirement Assets Beneficiary

L. V. Silvester, III '71

I was fortunate to be one of the original students accepted to the Lawrence campus established in London for the summer and fall terms of 1970. The experience of living and studying in London was terrific and I became an advocate that every student should have an opportunity for overseas study as part of their college experience.

Some of the highlights of those six months in London included studying 18th Century Restoration Comedy, an English course taught by Professor Goldgar, and coupling that with a performance of The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar and starring Maggie Smith; sitting in on a slander trial at the Inns of Court; a fall weekend in Paris (via the then fairly new hovercraft crossing of the Channel) with an art major classmate providing the art history narrative through the Louvre; and a term-break road trip from Barcelona to Marseilles, Monaco, Pisa, Florence, Andermatt, Vaduz and Munich.

After giving to the Lawrence Fund for a number of years, I became a member of the Founders Club. I let it be known to Lawrence's Office of Development that I wanted to leave a bequest to the University. Much to its credit, Lawrence urged me to identify an area of mutual interest to which my bequest could be ear-marked. I wanted to make sure that any gift that I did give would be both a priority for Lawrence as well as for myself.

After much discussion, we agreed that my planned gift (which consists of Lawrence being named the beneficiary of a retirement account) would fund scholarships for Lawrence students to study abroad. With the costs of a Lawrence education being so expensive and the constraint that some students would have to seek summer employment in order to assist with the payment of their tuition, the scholarship fund that will eventually be established by my gift will enable future Lawrentians the opportunity for a foreign study experience.

My primary career has been that of a trust administrative officer for various bank wealth management divisions. In that role, I have the opportunity to occasionally make distributions of bequests to charitable beneficiaries on behalf of my clients and have seen the benefits that these gifts can provide to such organizations. They can be of tremendous support and provide the donor an opportunity to make a larger one-time gift than might be possible on an annual basis.

Such gifts, through testamentary bequests, life insurance benefits, or retirement accounts, can assist Lawrence in continuing to provide its renowned liberal arts education to future students. I heartily endorse becoming a member of the Lawrence-Downer Legacy Circle and urge all Lawrentians to consider making a planned gift to the University as part of their estate planning.