Class of 1966 - 56th Reunion Class Gift
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A Letter from Mike Dooley
Class of '66, including our Class Widows,
As most of you know, it is a tradition to create a class gift on behalf of every 5th year class reunion. While our 55th reunion didn’t happen (thanks to COVID), now is the time to make an even bigger difference as we get ready for our 56th reunion on campus this June 22-26, 2022. It also means that our Reunion Gift window has been expanded, from January 1, 2021 to Reunion Weekend, for us to achieve our Reunion Gift goal.
Let me make it clear, I do not work as an employee of SMUMN, and I wrote this letter, based on my observations, and long time experience and involvement with SMUMN over the years. What I ask of you, Claudia and I do also, and we have made our full five-year commitment this year. I have always believed in St. Mary's. I am very excited about recent university developments and what the future holds. I am proud to have graduated from SMUMN and have had a strong affinity towards the university ever since, and I suspect that many of you have the same feeling! Read what our outstanding President, the Very Reverend James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., ABPP , has to say about the future of our university in "Higher Education Reimagined":
"Everyone at Saint Mary’s is passionate about helping our students succeed academically, personally, and spiritually. It’s our unwavering mission: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership.
It is this level of commitment, this dedication to purpose, that will propel our strategic plan — Building a Future Full of Hope 2025 — and allow us to continue upon our pathway to success, a pathway that embraces our Lasallian Catholic heritage while remaining open to all people of good will; a pathway that manages our resources responsibly while creating capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship; a pathway that positions Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to become a leader for regionally dominant and nationally prominent programs and services that emphasize excellence and competence."
I am asking you to join me in doing what you can to contribute to the success of SMUMN and its students. There are two kinds of gifts: Annual and Major/Legacy Gifts - "Major Gifts" for short. Annual Gifts generally come from income; Major Gifts come from assets. In each of these areas, I'd like to share a few options that you may not be aware of, but might make more sense for you - and will count towards our class' fundraising goal:
Annual Gifts
- One-time Gift - The traditional way of making a gift, that we are all familiar with.
- 5-Year Pledge Payment - You can pledge a gift today, and then make payments on that pledge annually for up to five years. The original pledge will count towards our total. For example, you can make a pledge of $5,000 today, and then make annual payments of $1,000 over the next 5 years. Our total is boosted before reunion because we count the pledge amount, but the gift is more manageable on your end. If you have already made a gift in 2021 or 2022, please consider making the same gift every year for a five year period, because the entire five-year commitment counts towards our Reunion 2022 Gift Total!
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMD)- If you have an account with an RMD, you can direct the disbursement to Saint Mary's, which has several significant tax advantages. It allows you to give from pre-tax assets. If you do not itemize or are subject to charitable deduction limits, it allows you to give from your assets - not your checkbook - while receiving tax benefits. It could also help you avoid income that could push you into a higher tax bracket.
Major Gifts:
- Stocks and Securities - Can be transferred to Saint Mary's and qualify (including the dividends) as tax deductible.
- Real Estate Gifts and Gifts of Tangible Property - Made either during your lifetime or as a bequest gift.
- Beneficiary Designation - You can designate Saint Mary's University as a Beneficiary of a retirement, investment, bank account or life insurance policy.
- Make Saint Mary's a Beneficiary in a Charitable Trust - There are many different types of Trusts that offer different options for creation, payment, and disbursement that might fit your current financial and philanthropic plans.
- Planned or Bequest Gift - Have you thought of putting Saint Mary's as a beneficiary in your Will or Trust? Did you know that if you do, and inform Saint Mary's of this, you can become a member of the Saint Mary's Legacy Society. Through this society you can enjoy the benefits and recognition of a planned gift now, during your lifetime. Furthermore, if there is a specific amount, that counts towards our Reunion fundraiser total!
- Name Something - From a physical space on campus like a classroom or meeting space, to a scholarship for a deserving student, there are many ways to put you or your family's name on something Saint Mary's. Perhaps you wish to create a family legacy with a named scholarship, like Claudia and I have done with the Clayton and Helen Dooley/Anthony and Irene Drvota Scholarships in the name of our parents. Or the James E. Donovan Scholarship, named after our departed classmate, created by his wife, Myrna. Perhaps you would like to leave a named legacy as part of our campus facilities, such as the Rick and Pat Paul Conference Room in the new Science Building, or the Merle Wilberding Alumni Room in the Michael Toner Student Center named after Howard's late son, Michael. If you are a Physician or a Science Ph.D. maybe would like to provide a legacy in our Physician's Assistant, our new Nursing program, or any of our various science-related classes and programs, many with input and involvement by the world famous Mayo Clinic. And if you entered a career in business, our newly enhanced Business and Technology Department and accelerated MBA program would be worthy of your commitment. I fully understand that those of you with advanced degrees attended or even employed by many other colleges and universities - remember where you started! These options vary and are constantly changing, so please call Lori Quinn (her information is listed below) to discuss current opportunities for you to consider.
Many of you make annual gifts. What I am asking you to do, at your average age of 77, is to consider a major gift, if you have been blessed with financial success. It is really true that now is the time to remember that "you can't take it with you", and I seriously doubt that you want to leave it to the government. This is the time of your life that you should seriously consider what SMUMN has meant, and does mean, to you. Now is the time to convert that caring for SMUMN into a gift that will benefit current and future generations of students, as well as ensure SMUMN's continued success. Not to mention, make you feel good in the process!
SMUMN is a magical place. What started as a small, single campus in a relatively rural Midwest city, has seen steady growth over the years. Now, that pace is rapidly accelerating, with campuses in Winona, the Twin Cities, Rochester, and online. It is an institution that has and is changing lives. THAT IS WHY I AM ASKING YOU TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER CONTRIBUTING TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR ABILITY, TO A REALLY SPECIAL INSTITUTION! It is important that you are aware our alma mater is continuing to demonstrate major improvement year after year. Take, for example, the following:
For more information about these types of gifts, check out the Ways to Give or Planned Giving Gift Models pages. You are also encouraged to contact Saint Mary's Development Director Lori Quinn, B'80, at lquinn@smumn.edu or by calling 847-340-8044. She is working with the Class of 1966 and will be happy to help answer your questions or assist in making your donation to the Reunion Gift.
Finally, as always, please check with your financial advisor for full details and what applies best to your financial situation and goals.
What SMUMN does, it does as a Catholic, Lasallian university with an enhanced focus on character and virtue education.Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota continues to shape the lives of our students through holistic character development and the cultivation of intellectual, moral, and civic virtues. These are among the main reasons that students select our Alma Mater!
Sincerely,
-Mike Dooley, Class of 1966 Reunion Coordinator
Return to Class of 1966 Reunion Page
56th Reunion Fundraising Total
We are making excellent progress toward our Reunion Gift! As of May 1, 2022: $274,080.69
Thank you to everyone who has contributed! Note that two of our Honor Roll members are class widows - Carol Woerter and Myrna Donovan. Thank you, ladies! If you wish to enhance your current gift, or make it annual for the five-year class gift period, you can do so below. The same applies to those who have not made their class gift yet.
Our stretch goal is $1 million, which we cannot achieve without a significant contribution by a number of classmates and/or widows.
Honor Roll of Donors who have made a gift in 2021 or 2022 so far:
Marshall L. Anderson • John C. Calabrese • Joseph T. Dixon • Myrna (James) Donovan • Michael J. Dooley • Stephen R. Dybsky • Richard E. Earley • Michael J. Esposito • Thomas Gagliardi • Charles J. Gatz • Robert J. Hendrickson • Lawrence W. Hilfinger • Charles G. Joseph • Thomas H. Klein • James W. Lohr • Stephen R. Mayer • James V. Murphy • Stephen F. Nekola • Patrick J. O'Hare • Patrick R. O'Leary • James R. Olson • Anthony D. Pacelli • Andrew Paprocki • Robert H. Paradise • Louis F. Parker • Richard J. Paul • James F. Penfold • Michael F. Perl • Roger J. Pytlewski • Roger M. Reitmaier • Lawrence A. Reuter • Michael W. Schuetz • Dominic A. Scudiero • Charles A. Sieracki • John J. Stegeman • Charles O. Sterling • Raymond Suchor • Daniel P. Sullivan • Terrence D. Truhler • William J. Walsh (IL) • Michael T. Whalen • Merle F. Wilberding • Carol (Martin) Woerter • James A. Zagzebski