Herrick Society Stories
Lifelong Teachers are Lifelong Philanthropists
The Herrick legacy began with a modestly funded unitrust, that, at maturity, will support the Department of Biological Sciences. Nearly every year, Art and Margaret add funds to the unitrust, which pays them a life income that grows as the investment increases in market value. Today, their legacy can provide needed funds to attract a highly esteemed professor to Kent State. It's a fitting way for a couple who taught generations of students—Art as professor of biological sciences from 1937 to 1972, and Margaret as professor of speech pathology from 1968 to 1982—to remember the University that is so much a part of their lives.
Art Herrick's powers of observation as a field botanist and his ability to translate his passion into the classroom are legendary. "He was about 10 or 20 years ahead of everyone else in seeing what was coming," says Dr. Tom Cooperrider, an emeritus professor who taught biology at Kent State from 1958 until 1993. "Art played a major role in identifying places that were worthy of being conserved. He traveled all over the state interviewing people and getting them to take him to their favorite haunts and places that should be conserved. Then he put it all together in a big list—Herrick's List. As a result, many of those places were made into nature preserves, either by the state of Ohio, or by The Nature Conservancy," Cooperrider says.
In 1969, long before most people were concerned about saving wetlands, Art purchased some property in Portage County to protect it from development. Herrick donated the 140-acre wetland to the University, which now manages it in concert with The Nature Conservancy. The wetland features several rare plants that are survivors from the time glaciers covered Northeast Ohio 15,000 years ago. In addition to this land, the Herrick's donated their Kent home to the foundation, a 1.5-acre property with 250 species of native plants and trees.
"One of my favorite places for class field trips was Hoss Woods in Streetsboro," Art recalls. "They sold it to a lumber company and it was gone. It became stumps... I've seen lots of places disappear, so that motivated me. I saw the world of nature disappear and so I got involved."
Art was a founding member of the Ohio Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in 1958, and then continued his advocacy and involvement by funding education. As he explained: "Education is investment, investment for all. It goes on and on and on. Contributions that fund education have long-term benefits."
Dr. Barbara Andreas, a professor of biology at Kent State, together with husband Dr. Denny Cooke, emeritus professor of Biology, have known the Herrick's for three decades. "Art taught me the value of preserving land. He taught me the value of investing, and he taught me the value of having travel experiences," she says. "My husband and I own 80 acres in the Hocking Hills because he showed us the value of protecting good-quality natural land. We own it because we intend to leave a land legacy."
"Our experiences at Kent State and as donors have introduced us to the greatest people," says Margaret Herrick. Together, the couple has made more than 100 gifts to the University, and a decade ago were the first to reach the $1 million lifetime mark in their cumulative gifts. "Planned giving made it possible for us to use our resources during our lifetime and to create a legacy for Kent State students," says Art.
Regardless of means, careful and thoughtful charitable planning can help one achieve one's philanthropic ambition. We are grateful for Art and Margaret, and our other Herrick Society members, whose ambitions have included Kent State University.
Herrick Society StoriesLifelong Teachers are Lifelong Philanthropists
The Herrick legacy began with a modestly funded unitrust, that, at maturity, will support the Department of Biological Sciences. Nearly every year, Art and Margaret add funds to the unitrust, which pays them a life income that grows as the investment increases in market value. Today, their legacy can provide needed funds to attract a highly esteemed professor to Kent State. It's a fitting way for a couple who taught generations of students—Art as professor of biological sciences from 1937 to 1972, and Margaret as professor of speech pathology from 1968 to 1982—to remember the University that is so much a part of their lives. Art Herrick's powers of observation as a field botanist and his ability to translate his passion into the classroom are legendary. "He was about 10 or 20 years ahead of everyone else in seeing what was coming," says Dr. Tom Cooperrider, an emeritus professor who taught biology at Kent State from 1958 until 1993. "Art played a major role in identifying places that were worthy of being conserved. He traveled all over the state interviewing people and getting them to take him to their favorite haunts and places that should be conserved. Then he put it all together in a big list—Herrick's List. As a result, many of those places were made into nature preserves, either by the state of Ohio, or by The Nature Conservancy," Cooperrider says. In 1969, long before most people were concerned about saving wetlands, Art purchased some property in Portage County to protect it from development. Herrick donated the 140-acre wetland to the University, which now manages it in concert with The Nature Conservancy. The wetland features several rare plants that are survivors from the time glaciers covered Northeast Ohio 15,000 years ago. In addition to this land, the Herrick's donated their Kent home to the foundation, a 1.5-acre property with 250 species of native plants and trees. "One of my favorite places for class field trips was Hoss Woods in Streetsboro," Art recalls. "They sold it to a lumber company and it was gone. It became stumps... I've seen lots of places disappear, so that motivated me. I saw the world of nature disappear and so I got involved." Art was a founding member of the Ohio Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in 1958, and then continued his advocacy and involvement by funding education. As he explained: "Education is investment, investment for all. It goes on and on and on. Contributions that fund education have long-term benefits." Dr. Barbara Andreas, a professor of biology at Kent State, together with husband Dr. Denny Cooke, emeritus professor of Biology, have known the Herrick's for three decades. "Art taught me the value of preserving land. He taught me the value of investing, and he taught me the value of having travel experiences," she says. "My husband and I own 80 acres in the Hocking Hills because he showed us the value of protecting good-quality natural land. We own it because we intend to leave a land legacy." "Our experiences at Kent State and as donors have introduced us to the greatest people," says Margaret Herrick. Together, the couple has made more than 100 gifts to the University, and a decade ago were the first to reach the $1 million lifetime mark in their cumulative gifts. "Planned giving made it possible for us to use our resources during our lifetime and to create a legacy for Kent State students," says Art. Regardless of means, careful and thoughtful charitable planning can help one achieve one's philanthropic ambition. We are grateful for Art and Margaret, and our other Herrick Society members, whose ambitions have included Kent State University. |