Gifts at Work

Links in a Chain

May 22, 2017 Leave a Comment

peggy-and-lloyd — Peggy Howard Hodgkins ’61 values lifelong friendships that began at Mary Washington. Pictured here are Peggy (left), Lloyd Tilton Backstrom ’61, and Arthur Backstrom, Jr.

Since graduating in 1961, Peggy Howard Hodgkins of Wilton, Maine, proudly has supported her alma mater. This support has come in many forms, including volunteer service as a class agent and through regular gifts to the Fund for Mary Washington.

Peggy credits her enduring love and respect for Mary Washington to the teaching and practice of the traditional Honor Code. “The Honor Code was the base of my experience,” she says. “It was wonderful to live with and be surrounded by people you absolutely trust, and I think it is empowering to be able to carry that honor out into the world as a harbinger of success in business, marriage and one’s personal life.”

Peggy came to Mary Washington after attending high school in New York. She majored in home economics/nutrition and enjoyed social activities with her classmates. “It was four idyllic years of education and living with trust and values on a beautiful campus with gorgeous architecture and trees,” she says. “I could have studied more, but my interest in music and art from those early ‘appreciation classes’ continues to bring joy to my life on a daily basis. I also cherish the honor system and many precious, lifelong friendships.”

After receiving her degree, Peggy moved to Maine and married. Through the years, she put her education and leadership skills to work in managing various family-owned businesses and properties. An avid promoter of women’s issues, she was involved with the American Association of University Women and served on boards of directors in the fields of business, religion, medicine, television, and education. She and her husband had three children, and today she is a proud grandmother of six and a great-grandmother to one.

In response to recognition as one of UMW’s decades-long consecutive donors, Peggy points out the size of her gifts. “I’m definitely not a top donor, but I guess you could say my annual gifts to the Fund for Mary Washington are like small links in a chain,” she says. “I want to keep that chain going, so I plan to keep giving. It feels good, and I know each gift is important.”

Spring 2017 Heritage Newsletter

April 28, 2017 Leave a Comment

Learn about the lives and careers of Mary Washington alumni: Helen Davenport Smith 1919, Elizabeth Fischer Gore ’49, Joyce Lee Smith ’58, Phyllis Quinn ’77, and Paola Maldonado-Torres ’13.

See how their Mary Washington experiences impacted their lives, and how they have committed to paying it forward.

Click here to read the spring edition of this 6-page newsletter from the University of Mary Washington.

Mary Wash Giving Day Update

March 16, 2017 Leave a Comment

Mary Wash Giving Day, the University’s first 24-hour giving day, was the largest one-day fundraising effort in Mary Washington history. Held March 14, 2017, the celebration coincided with the 109^th anniversary of the University’s founding. Snowy roads forced the closure of campus and cancellation of Giving Day events, but donors still turned out in force online to make the day a huge success.

Final Giving Day results are as follows:

1,218 gifts to areas across the University, including the Fund for Mary Washington, arts and cultural programs, athletics, academic departments, the Amphitheatre restoration, and scholarships
1,090 unique donors (counting each donor once, even if they made more than one gift), — of that number, 678 were UMW alumni
$217,255 in gifts and gift commitments, including $80,655 for the Fund for Mary Washington

March 14 is Mary Wash Giving Day

February 7, 2017 Leave a Comment

The University of Mary Washington will hold its first giving day on March 14, 2017. This date is significant in the University’s history, as it marks 109 years since its founding in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women.

During Mary Wash Giving Day on March 14, donors can make gifts at mwgivingday.com from midnight through 11:59 p.m. Gifts received during this time will celebrate the UMW spirit of giving back and help fill the gap—since funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia accounts for just 25% of the University’s operating budget. Private support from the Mary Washington community is essential to providing an outstanding liberal arts education for UMW’s 4,000 students.

Of UMW’s 38,000 alumni, nearly one-third are graduates of the last decade, and their participation in giving is key to sustaining and strengthening the University’s tradition of excellence. One objective of Mary Wash Giving Day is to inspire these young Eagles to give back to the University, continuing a longstanding alumni tradition of paying it forward to the next generation of students.

The University has set a Giving Day goal of 654 donors (a nod to the prefix of all phone numbers on the Fredericksburg campus). Each individual’s participation, not the amount of their gift, matters most. Donors will be able to make online gifs in support of one or several areas of the University. These eight areas of support will be highlighted:

Fund for Mary Washington (the University’s largest source of unrestricted support)
Athletics
Amphitheatre Challenge
Arts & Culture
Scholarships
President’s Impact Fund
Colleges and Libraries
Senior Class Gift (the Class of 2017’s legacy gift to the University).

At mwgivingday.com, donors will be able to keep track of the day’s progress via a dynamic leaderboard, share their donations on social media, and send emails and text messages encouraging friends to give. Alumni and other passionate Mary Washington supporters who would like to serve as #MaryWashDay social media ambassadors can download profile and cover images on the Social Media page of the site. More information about the day can be found on the FAQs page.

Amphitheatre Gift Honors Family Legacy

January 12, 2017 Leave a Comment

In 1948, Louise Garnett Goodwin ’30 ran for Fredericksburg City Council in an attempt to become the first woman to hold elected office. She did not win, but today her daughter – Mary Katherine Greenlaw ’61 – has the distinction of being the first woman elected mayor of Fredericksburg.

Recently, Mary Katherine honored her mother’s memory by making a $10,000 gift to the UMW Amphitheatre Challenge. “Mother passed away in 1997, but as we continue to read her diaries and go through her scrapbooks, we’re learning just how much Mary Washington meant to her,” says Mary Katherine.

Louise attended college through a Kiwanis Club scholarship and majored in chemistry and physical education. She was involved in numerous activities, including field hockey, basketball, soccer, and dance. In 1928, she served in the May Court during the ceremonial crowning of the May Queen. After graduating, Louise went on to teach Latin and coach girl’s basketball at Fredericksburg High School and later in the Belmont section of Spotsylvania.

“She loved Mary Washington as a student, and she continued to be involved as an alumna and member of the Fredericksburg community,” says Mary Katherine. “When I was a child, I remember being at the college all the time for various events, so the campus is very much a part of my experience as well. In fact, my son, two daughters-in-law, and two grandsons are also UMW alumni.”

Mary Katherine says she is proud to support UMW’s Amphitheatre Challenge. “Knowing that Mother was a part of the May Day Court in 1928 and that the campus and the Amphitheatre were a huge part of her life, I felt this was a great way to preserve history and honor her legacy at Mary Washington.”

The Amphitheatre Challenge continues at UMW as the deadline of May 1, 2017, draws near. Last year, the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, offered UMW a challenge grant of $125,000 to support a $3 million restoration of the historic Amphitheatre. To receive the challenge grant, UMW alumni, parents, and friends must make NEW gifts to the Amphitheatre totaling at least $125,000. To offer your support before May 1, 2017, visit giving.umw/achallenge or call 540-654-1024.

Article written by Donna Harter, Executive Director of Advancement Initiatives

Giving to Mary Washington

Gifts at Work