November 19, 2007 Expanding on a Family Legacy As one of the first graduates of the Robert D. Clark Honors College, Ginny Clark Reich '64, M.A. '66, has fond memories of the college's beginnings. Ginny's strong connections to the university began with her late father, for whom the honors college is named. She and her husband Roger have made a gift to the college that will last in perpetuity. :: READ MORE Donor Couple Values Academics and Athletics Equally When Ray and Carla Robertson of Troutdale, Oregon decided ten years ago to leave the bulk of their estate to the UO, they stipulated that it be divided equally between support of professorships and endowed athletic scholarships. :: READ MORE IRA Gift Opportunity Ends Soon Act allows donors to transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA without paying taxes. :: READ MORE Recent Gifts to Campaign Oregon Following are just a few of the many recent contributions from private donors to Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives: Richard and Mary Solari—$500,000 pledge to create the Richard and Mary Corrigan Solari Collections Endowment Fund for UO Libraries. Knowledge Learning Corporation—$25,000 for scholarships in the School of Law, College of Education, UO Career Center, and the Lundquist College of Business. Norman Brown—$125,000 pledge to establish the Norman Brown Graduate Student Endowment Fellowship Fund. Kim and Bill Swindells—$125,000 pledge for the UO Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn Ford Alumni Center. Liberty Bank—$50,000 pledge to the UO Ford Alumni Center. Orval R. Petersen Jr.—$25,000 to establish the Orval R. Petersen Jr. Gift Annuity to benefit the Lundquist College of Business. Marian W. Wilson—$25,056 for the University Archives Fund. Expanding on a Family Legacy As one of the first graduates of the Robert D. Clark Honors College, Ginny Clark Reich '64, M.A. '66, has fond memories of the college's beginnings. Due to a shortage of classrooms, her favorite social science class met in a room above the College Side Inn, a restaurant and lounge located where the UO bookstore, recently renamed the Duck Store, now stands. As they sat in class, popular songs of the day drifted up from the jukebox below. Ginny remembers when she and her classmates took bets on how many times Henry Mancini's "Moon River" would be repeated during class. Otherwise, little distracted them from the spirited discussions that are a hallmark of the honors college experience. "The class was so engaging; we would continue our discussions on the sidewalk afterwards," she says. Ginny's strong family connections to the university began with her late father, for whom the UO honors college is named. He was the university's eleventh president and a professor of speech. Ginny's sister, Suzanne Clark, is a UO English professor. An educator herself, Ginny supports a variety of areas on campus in addition to the honors college. Several years ago Ginny and her husband Roger decided to make a legacy gift that will provide for future generations of UO students. "It is something that we both wanted to support," says Roger. With the assistance of the university's Office of Gift Planning, the Reichs were able to tailor the language of their will to ensure that their bequest will benefit the honors college in perpetuity. Now Ginny and Roger are working with the UO's gift planning experts to update their will to reflect added wishes for the honors college. "The college's needs have evolved along with our finances," Roger says. "The university's gift planning team also is helping us explore ways to reduce today's taxes." By leveraging their estate plans into life income gifts such as a charitable remainder trust or charitable gift annuity, the Reichs can receive a current income tax charitable deduction and other benefits. :: BACK TO TOP Donor Couple Values Academics and Athletics Equally Any notion of pitting athletics against academics is a nonstarter for Ray and Carla Robertson of Troutdale, Oregon. When the Duck-loving pair decided ten years ago to leave the bulk of their estate to the University of Oregon, they stipulated that it be divided equally between support of professorships and endowed athletic scholarships. "We would like to see the academic community and the athletic department embracing one another," Ray says. "This will make for a stronger university." Known by friends as "The Duck," Ray retired three years ago as Kaiser Permanente Northwest's vice president of medical operations. His division's 8,000 employees and 1,000 physicians provided care for about 440,000 members in Oregon and southwest Washington. Though neither holds a degree from the UO, the Robertsons' attachment to the university equals that of the most ardent alumni. "My connection to the UO is visceral," Ray says. "It has its roots in athletics going back to when I was just a little kid going to football games at Hayward Field with the Knothole Gang." When it came time for college, Ray chose to spend his freshman year at the UO even though he planned to become a pharmacist. In Oregon, pharmacists are trained at Oregon State University, so Ray completed his pharmacy degree there in 1970. But he remained true to the UO, a vocal spark of green and yellow standing amidst the black-and-orange faithful during Civil War games. Summers brought him home to Eugene, where he took advanced mathematics courses for fun. "One of my best math professors at the UO almost convinced me to switch majors and institutions," he recalls fondly. However, Ray's ability to afford the luxury of taking summer courses was due to the high value his father placed on education. The elder Robertson refused to allow Ray to take a job until after he earned his degree—even though this meant at least 25 percent of his earnings went toward Ray's college costs. "I could go to college and live part of the American dream because tuition was affordable," Ray says. "Carla and I feel very strongly that our support of the university is the best thing we can do to help make the American dream possible for others." In recognition of the importance of their legacy gift, Ray and Carla are now members of the university's Arnold Bennett Hall Legacy Society and the UO athletic department's new Len Casanova Legacy Society. The legacy societies honor those who are making a lasting impact by designating the university as a beneficiary of their wills, living trusts, IRAs, life insurance, or life income gifts such as charitable gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts. :: BACK TO TOP IRA Gift Opportunity Ends Soon The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows donors to transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA directly to the University of Oregon Foundation without paying taxes. The opportunity ends on December 31, 2007. To qualify, donors must be age seventy or older. Transfers must be made directly to the University of Oregon Foundation from the administrator of your IRA. Your gift must be given outright (it cannot be used to fund life income gifts). The transfer is excluded from your income, so no additional charitable deduction is allowed. :: BACK TO TOP