By UW Foundation staff
The world of wills and charitable gifts can be daunting, but with a little guidance and a little planning, anyone can support the students and programs that are important to them through estate giving—not to mention receive tax benefits and, potentially, income.
For example, Altamae Van Sant was an elementary school teacher. Her family homesteaded near Gillette, Wyo., in 1913. A nontraditional student, Altamae received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from the University of Wyoming in the early 1960s. Then she taught school at U.S. Department of Defense military bases worldwide, including Turkey, Ethiopia, Guam and Spain. After 21 years, she retired to Laramie.
Altamae established the Altamae Wynecoop Van Sant Merit Scholarship in the College of Education through her estate. She wanted to support promise, not the highest GPA, since those students generally win financial assistance.
Recipient Lacy Grott says, “Here I am, graduating in four years with really good grades. I was the president of the College of Education Ambassadors. I’ve gotten multiple scholarships—top of my class—and yet I didn’t receive any money through the Hathaway. The Van Sant scholarship meant a lot to me.”
Bill Campbell had a lifelong passion for Cowboy football. He was born in 1926 in Midwest, Wyo., graduating in 1944. While in high school, he played football and basketball, and after graduation he served during World War II on a U.S. Air Force B-17 crew. He then worked for Amoco Corp. as a drilling supervisor in North America, South America and Libya. When he retired, he moved back to Wyoming.
Bill established the Bill Campbell UW Football Excellence Fund, which was doubled by state matching, and he remembered UW Athletics in his estate plans as 100 percent beneficiary.
“Bill followed the Cowboys to his last day,” his cousin Dick Campbell says. And beyond—Bill passed away in 2010, and his tombstone reads, “A True Cowboy Fan.” From it, you can see his beloved stadium.
The Sundin family arrived in Rawlins, Wyo., in 1885 and owned a sheep ranch and a number of other ventures. In 1962, Clifford Sundin left part of his estate to UW for scholarships that support deserving and needy students from Rawlins.
This past year, the generous Sundin scholarship was awarded to an amazing 142 recipients, totaling more than $367,000 in awards. They are first-year through graduate students who come from every college on campus and are majoring in everything from engineering and education to criminal justice and computer science and much more.
“Because of the scholarship, I don’t have to worry about holding down a job, and all these other things that would distract me from my schoolwork,” says student Tony DeMillard. “I’m very blessed and thankful that I was able to get my school paid for with scholarships, and the Sundin is a big one.”
A planned gift can be implemented through any number of estate planning vehicles—a will, revocable living trust, retirement plan, POD or TOD designation, life insurance, charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust, charitable lead trust or retained life estate. A planned gift is generally donor-directed and balances a donor’s financial needs and objectives in order to maximize the benefit to both the donor and a charitable organization. Planned gifts come with the added knowledge and security of leaving a legacy that will help generations of students and the faculty, programs and facilities that support them.
If you have included UW in your estate plan, we encourage you to contact the UW Foundation so that we can properly document your intentions and to express our sincerest thanks.
There is no charge. Please consult your attorney or tax adviser before making any
charitable gift planning decision.
