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The Founders Society

The Founders Society
The Founders Society honors all benefactors, living and deceased, whose gifts through will, trust, or through other planned gifts help to ensure the future excellence and impact of the University of Maryland and its students.

If you would like to be included in the Founders Society please complete the Estate Gift Disclosure form or contact the Office of Gift Planning at 1-866-646-4UMD (363) or giftplanning@umd.edu. More

Million-Dollar Gift Endows Howard Lasnik Chair in Linguistics
Standing on the shoulders of giants is a phrase that aptly applies to Distinguished University Professor Howard Lasnik. More

Supporting Dietetics with a CGA
In 2003, Henry Dorn ‘53 established a charitable gift annuity in memory of his wife and fellow alumnus, Camille J. Shaffer Dorn ‘53. More

Robert and Theresa Miller: Deep UMD Connections
It might be hard to find people with deeper Terp connections than Bob and Terry Miller, both of whom had lengthy careers at the university before retiring in 2009. More

Margaret June Miller's Bequest
Margaret June Miller, avid reader and sailor, was born in Washington DC in 1920. After graduating from Hagerstown's St. John's Literary Institute in 1936, June entered the work force in the insurance industry until enlisting in the Navy. According to her friend Jackie Honeck, she "loved the adventure and the challenge of being a woman in a man's world." More

Giving Back Through an Endowed Scholarship Fund
I have always loved learning. Before submitting my application to UMD, I attended one of its Government and Politics graduate seminars. More

A Devoted UMD Fan
"Harold and the University of Maryland were joined at the hip," says Matthew Gruskin, nephew of the late Dr. Harold Cole. "He felt such closeness with the school." More

Honoring Her Past with a Gift of Life Insurance
A native Washingtonian, Lois (Martin) Olmsted transferred to the University of Maryland from Bucknell University in her junior year. More

Gelfelds Fund Charitable Gift Annuity
"It's a win-win-win," says Doug Gelfeld, '60, of funding a charitable gift annuity. "The university wins, we win, and our sons win." For Doug and Carole Gelfeld, philanthropy is a reflection of core values they have shared with their three sons. More

Richard N. Reed, '50
Alumnus Dick Reed put his unneeded IRA assets to good work by augmenting his philanthropy to Maryland. More

Albert and Marilyn Berman-Pollans, '79 PhD, '73 M.A.
Al and Marilyn Pollans share a philanthropic philosophy they fondly refer to as the three Ws, work, wisdom and wealth. More

Charles A. Irish, Sr., '52
"I was very pleased to increase my gifting to the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering." More

Retired Kinesiology Professor Gives Back
After 27 years of teaching at the University of Maryland-her entire professional career-Sally J. Phillips, professor of biomechanics and associate chair of the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Health and Human Performance (soon to become the School of Public Health), wanted to create a lasting legacy. Planned giving was a perfect way to achieve her goal More

Terrapin True
The Terrapin spirit runs deep and true in Ellie Fields '49. One is made readily apparent of this fact just by simply listening to her answering machine message, which ends with a hearty, "Go Terps!" More

Giving Back to My Alma Mater
On January 1, 2000, I wrote my first check to establish a charitable gift annuity and sent it to the University of Maryland. It was one of the most wonderful things I have ever done in my life. More

Three Cheers for Maryland
Talking with Helen W. Sheats '35, one was struck by the vast changes at the University of Maryland in the past 75 years. Her major coursework, home economics, included a class in basic sewing, suitable for teaching to high school students. Her graduating class totaled 269; only 74 were women. By comparison, the senior class of 2012 includes almost 8,000 students, and the total student population split fairly evenly between men and women. More

Founders Society Salute
An admirer of Gertrude Crist says that "her integrity, candor, and passion were amazing. Throughout her life she put 'feet to her beliefs,' and the world was a better place as a result." More