Sperlings Support Endowed Scholarship Through Gift in Their Will

Bill ’63 and Gerry Sperling ’68, M.Ed. ’77, had very different Whitworth experiences. Sam Adams, legendary Whitworth coach, was their Young Life leader at North Central High School. Sam offered Bill a small scholarship to play football, and Gerry was working full time and a mother when she attended. Bill says, “My Pine Bowl career lasted just one year, but Sam’s support lasted a lifetime.” Bill enjoyed a 30-year career in banking, including 16 years as senior vice president of the Seattle Foundation as an expert in estate planning and deferred giving.

“My experience as an adult student and working mom was extremely meaningful,” Gerry adds. “I realized that the faculty were not only investing in 18- to 22-year-olds but also nontraditional students like me. They took the time to understand my ‘right-brain learning style,’ and I flourished—eventually earning my master’s degree from Whitworth and having a successful career in education administration.”

In gratitude for the personal and professional success their Whitworth educations provided, the Sperlings have made the university the beneficiary of a bequest in their will. “Bequests are great because for most of us, we can make a bigger gift through an estate plan than we can using current assets,” they say.

“Through our estate we have made a provision to add to our endowed scholarship. The scholarship supports single or working moms going back to school to earn their degrees,” Bill says, “something that is very important to Gerry.”

“We both came from backgrounds from which we felt we had no business at a place like Whitworth,” they say, “yet Whitworth faculty and staff mentored us, invested in us, and showed us the path to success. We both left school confident and prepared for the careers we would pursue.”

Bill is currently a member of The Whitworth Foundation’s Board of Directors, and Gerry serves on the Spokane Park Board. Both Bill and Gerry participate in many Whitworth activities on campus and in the community. “We are passionate about Whitworth’s Christian mind-and-heart mission and want to see the university retain this mission.”

The Sperlings hope fellow alumni will consider what kinds of legacies they could leave to help support future Pirates. Gerry concludes, “Knowing that there are still faculty and staff deeply investing in the lives of today’s students makes us excited about doing all we can to ensure Whitworth’s future.”