Planned Giving
Donor Stories
On behalf of Choate Rosemary Hall, we would like to thank all of our current donors for their generosity and support. Here are some of their stories.
Ed Fox '54
Ed became a member of The Choate Society in 2002 when he established a charitable remainder trust with highly appreciated stock. A big part of Ed's strategy to support Choate and his other favored institutions has involved the use of charitable remainder trusts. "They enable me to support education during my lifetime," he says, "and Choate played such a significant role in my life. It was the right thing to do, and the terrific tax benefits allowed me to be considerably more generous."
John Smyth '83 profile
John Smyth ’83 is a great example of the growing number of alumni with young families who are remembering Choate Rosemary Hall as they begin the process of planning for their futures. To complement his current support of the school, John recently established a very generous gift through his estate plan. “It’s simple,” he says. “Choate is family, and my first charitable priority. The people at Choate took good care of me. Naturally, I want to take good care of Choate.”
Bob Gaines '56
From the age of 21, Bob has had a will. However, it wasn't until his daughter, Elizabeth, was born that he decided it was time to include a bequest for Choate. “I thought, ‘Gee, I’ve been a class agent for all this time. I should do it.” Through the years, as his means have changed, Bob has adjusted his bequest for the school. “Most alumni care about the school and are able to do something relative to their means,” he says. “Even if they have a spouse or children, it can be done without depriving them of what they need to sustain their lifestyles.” Since then, in 2005, Bob established his first charitable gift annuity.
Richard Boynton '52
In a sense paying on a debt of gratitude, Dick made a generous gift to Choate last year through the school’s charitable gift annuity program. “I had been thinking of doing something more significant for Choate, in appreciation of the experience I had. A gift annuity just seemed to make sense,” he says. “It was easy to establish and the annuity rates are very good.” People in Dick’s family tend to live a long time and, for him, the great thing about a gift annuity is that he can’t outlive his payments. “It’s a great way to hedge your bets about whether your savings will last as long as you will. It’s a real concern for many people and a gift annuity is one way to address it.”
James S. Macgregor Jr. '33
Jamie had always wanted to give back to Choate for all that it gave to him. He had never given a charitable gift annuity any thought until he received a mailing on the topic and learned it was possible to make a gift that would not only benefit the school but also provide him and his wife, Emilie, with a reliable stream of income for the rest of their lives. He asked for more information and ultimately decided that he wanted to establish his own charitable gift annuity. "I knew this was a way I could make a larger investment in Choate during my life. We are very happy with the decision."
W. Henry “Hank” Russell, M.D. '40
Because of Hank’s gratitude for his experience at Choate, he felt a desire to give back to the school in a more significant way. Naming Choate as a beneficiary of his retirement plan was the logical way for him to do it. “It’s a painless way to make a gift and more people should consider it,” he says. “The money that has accumulated in the account isn’t really doing me any good. I don’t really need the income. Sure it can continue to grow and I could leave it to my family but sooner or later it will be subject to very heavy taxation, in my estate and when my heirs would get it. It made better sense to leave it to my schools, which will get it tax free.”
[Read more about Hank Russell]
The Iglehearts: The Legacy of a Family
There is a tradition among the Igleheart family of giving back to Choate as well as other institutions they care about. Jim, Brid, Diane, Jingle, and Ryan are all members of The Choate Society, having included the school in their wills and estate plans. After joining the Society, Jim and Diane decided to advance their bequest by making a gift through the school's charitable gift annuity program. "The annuity payments we receive come in very handy. We are very happy with it."
[Read more about the Iglehearts]
S. Chapin ("Chape") Lawson '34
In his Will, sometime after his wife died in 1977, Chape Lawson specified that some stock he had long held should go to Choate when he died. Later, in 2002, Chape made a gift to the school in the form of a charitable gift annuity (or "education gift annuity" as he likes to refer to it). "The reason is simple," he says. "Payback—though hardly in full—for the magnificent education I received, for the opportunity to participate in athletics through every one of my five years, and for the friends I met and made."