Herrick Society Stories
Memorials Celebrate Loved One's Life
When a loved one dies, you are faced with a
painful loss and a multitude of decisions. One of
these may be how to create a fitting memorial, a
tribute that will express that person's unique traits,
interests, and accomplishments.
"My wife and I were musicians, and I wanted
to help students further their musical careers,"
said Leslie E. Sheary, '41, who established two
scholarships in memory of his late wife, Cornelia,
a violinist who graduated from Juilliard. The Leslie
E. and Cornelia B. Sheary Founders Medallion
Scholarships in Music also reflect Les's lifelong love
of music and his career as a flutist in the Air Force
and U.S. Marine Corps bands. To fund this legacy,
Les invested in a charitable gift annuity that provides
him with an income for life and, at maturity, will
provide music scholarships in perpetuity.
Creating a meaningful memorial often becomes
a family affair. For example, siblings may decide
to combine their financial resources to create a
memorial for a parent or other loved one. In one
case, four sisters created a scholarship that reflected
their mother's artistic taste. "The family came to us
ahead of time and wanted to do something for their
mother, who was gravely
ill at the time," says
Joseph Macedo,
associate vice president
for gift and estate
planning. "We showed
them how they could
make a more significant
memorial by using
proceeds from the estate,
which would offset
the amount of income
tax owed."
Jim and Judy Leffingwell with Judy's mother, Josephine Koelewyn
The Leffingwell family took a more traditional
approach, remembering a beloved daughter by
including Kent State as a part of their will. Kent
State alumni Jim and Judy Leffingwell, along with
Judy's mother, Josephine Koelewyn, set up an estate
plan that allows them to be as generous as possible
while also providing for their needs during life.
Their plans will mature once the last of their three
wills goes into effect. The Julie Lynn Leffingwell
Endowed Scholarship Fund will be awarded to
students working in the Department of Residence
Services, where Julie had found a second home on
campus as a student. She passed away in 1999, shortly
after earning an art degree at Kent State.
Another alumni couple, Jim and Nancy Arthur,
recently created memorials to two of their parents
by taking funds from an existing charitable unitrust
and using it to endow scholarships of $25,000 each.
One endowment is an athletic scholarship that honors
Nancy's father, Walter Sage, and his skill on the
basketball court, while a second endowment in nursing
honors Jim's mother, Ethel Arthur.
"Our existing unitrust is generating an income for us,
but we also wanted to do something for students right
now," says Jim, who recently joined the board of the
Kent State University Foundation. "The time was right,
and endowing these scholarships was the right thing
to do."
Herrick Society StoriesMemorials Celebrate Loved One's Life When a loved one dies, you are faced with a painful loss and a multitude of decisions. One of these may be how to create a fitting memorial, a tribute that will express that person's unique traits, interests, and accomplishments. "My wife and I were musicians, and I wanted to help students further their musical careers," said Leslie E. Sheary, '41, who established two scholarships in memory of his late wife, Cornelia, a violinist who graduated from Juilliard. The Leslie E. and Cornelia B. Sheary Founders Medallion Scholarships in Music also reflect Les's lifelong love of music and his career as a flutist in the Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps bands. To fund this legacy, Les invested in a charitable gift annuity that provides him with an income for life and, at maturity, will provide music scholarships in perpetuity. Creating a meaningful memorial often becomes a family affair. For example, siblings may decide to combine their financial resources to create a memorial for a parent or other loved one. In one case, four sisters created a scholarship that reflected their mother's artistic taste. "The family came to us ahead of time and wanted to do something for their mother, who was gravely ill at the time," says Joseph Macedo, associate vice president for gift and estate planning. "We showed them how they could make a more significant memorial by using proceeds from the estate, which would offset the amount of income tax owed."
The Leffingwell family took a more traditional approach, remembering a beloved daughter by including Kent State as a part of their will. Kent State alumni Jim and Judy Leffingwell, along with Judy's mother, Josephine Koelewyn, set up an estate plan that allows them to be as generous as possible while also providing for their needs during life. Their plans will mature once the last of their three wills goes into effect. The Julie Lynn Leffingwell Endowed Scholarship Fund will be awarded to students working in the Department of Residence Services, where Julie had found a second home on campus as a student. She passed away in 1999, shortly after earning an art degree at Kent State. Another alumni couple, Jim and Nancy Arthur, recently created memorials to two of their parents by taking funds from an existing charitable unitrust and using it to endow scholarships of $25,000 each. One endowment is an athletic scholarship that honors Nancy's father, Walter Sage, and his skill on the basketball court, while a second endowment in nursing honors Jim's mother, Ethel Arthur. "Our existing unitrust is generating an income for us, but we also wanted to do something for students right now," says Jim, who recently joined the board of the Kent State University Foundation. "The time was right, and endowing these scholarships was the right thing to do." |