Whitworth's Legacy Challenge

Roberta and Delilah, her beloved rescue Doberman pinscher

Generating Impact for Tomorrow and Today

Roberta Nicholson '60, recently learned about Whitworth's new Legacy Challenge, an exciting opportunity provided by trustee Walt Oliver '67, and his wife Kay. When you let Whitworth know of your bequest intentions, Walt and Kay will provide a one-time match of up to $5,000 to support a current strategic objective of The Campaign for Whitworth.

Roberta loves Whitworth. Her enthusiasm is contagious as she talks about her experience as a student, arriving from Southern California in 1956 without ever having seen the campus. She chose to attend Whitworth "on faith" when a member of her church recommended the school.

As a secretary sciences major, she enjoyed everything about her Whitworth journey—particularly the mentorship of Anna J. Carrel, a professor of music history and literature. Her relationship with Dr. Carrel was special, she says, and the two corresponded for many years after Roberta graduated.

Having just received Whitworth's endowment report for the Anna J. Carrel Endowed Scholarship, she began thinking about how she could help students as well as honor her favorite professor.

Roberta met with institutional advancement's Stacey Kamm Smith '86, who suggested using the value of Roberta's home to fund a bequest to Whitworth. "When we looked up how much my home is worth, it got me excited about making this bequest a reality," she says.

With the Olivers' match as an incentive, "everything came together," Roberta says. Getting her estate in order turned out to be an easy process. Her attorney helped her to put her house into a trust and then to designate Whitworth as the primary beneficiary of her estate.

Today, Roberta says she would choose Whitworth all over again. "Whitworth prepared me for life," she says. Roberta taught elementary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 36 years; she currently volunteers as a quilting instructor at the Simi Valley Senior Center.

By letting Whitworth know of her intent now and taking advantage of the Legacy Challenge match, Roberta and her future gift will make a difference for students today. This, she says, is "a winning combination."

For more information about this terrific match opportunity, please e-mail Stacey Kamm Smith at skammsmith@whitworth.edu or visit whitworth.edu/legacychallenge.