A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni of the University of Washington

Feature: A classy way of giving

Sam Anderson (left) and Wesley Tefft (right) were classmates at the School of Dentistry.

Sam Anderson ('51) and the late Wesley Tefft ('51) cemented a lifelong friendship while classmates at the UW School of Dentistry. In an enduring testament to their friendship and the bonds that brought their class together, Tefft’s widow, Alberta, and Anderson recently created the Class of 1951 Legacy Scholarship Endowment at the School of Dentistry.

"Most of us grew up during the Great Depression in the 1930s, served in World War II, and received help going to school through the GI Bill," says Anderson, who retired from his dentistry practice in 2003 and has taught part-time at the school of Dentistry since 1954. "Our hope is that we can help others have opportunities like we had."

Class gifts such as the endowment created by the Dentistry Class of '51 are one way that alumni can honor the time they spent together at the UW. From a scholarship created by the School of Law Class of 1939 to the recent gift from the Class of 2006 of a new Husky statue that sits outside the Husky Union Building, class gifts have made a lasting impact at the UW.

Class gifts have taken the form of physical enhancements that enrich the campus experience for all community members they also may fund scholarships or academic programs or provide other support for students or faculty. To date, UW classes have created 18 endowments and made numerous gifts to other non-endowed funds. Since they often involve many donors, class gifts allow supporters to leave a legacy with a gift of any size.

Class of 2002 senior Class Gift Council.

Graduation and reunions are two occasions where the university has formally organized class gift programs. In recent years, many classes have created endowed scholarship funds on the occasion of their 50th reunions. This year's reunion class is currently adding to its Class of 1958 President’s Endowment to honor its spring reunion. The Senior Class Gift Program encourages graduating seniors to join in making a gift that marks their time together at the UW. In the past five years, participation in the program has increased from 13 to 23 percent.

More than 1,100 classmates have contributed to the Class of 2004 Endowed Scholarship, which benefits students in their last year at the UW. "We wanted to help out students finishing up their degrees who might not have other resources readily available to them," says Megan Coppersmith ('04), who was a member of the Senior Class Gift Council. "By raising enough money to make it an endowment, it was something that would be self-supporting, and it would just keep giving."

Coppersmith said classmates designed bright shirts to draw attention to their efforts and sold food and drinks at Seattle Mariners games, an opportunity the baseball team offers as a fundraiser for nonprofits. "We had a fun time and hopefully our work helped get UW seniors in the habit of giving," she says.

"It felt good to give time and money to a school that provided me with such a wonderful experience."

For more on class gift opportunities, contact Besty troutman at 206-616-0490 or betsyt@u.washington.edu.

Return to Winter 2008 Campaign Newsletter