Donor Stories

Learn how others have made an impact through their acts of giving to our organization and others.

Choosing To Divide Their Estate Three Ways in Gratitude for Family and Westmont
Choosing To Divide Their Estate Three Ways in Gratitude for Family and Westmont
Drawn to both teaching and ministry, Pastor Dave Glass '66 has devoted his life to youth and Christian education, serving churches in Washington and California.
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Honoring Their Heritage With a Gift of Life Insurance
Honoring Their Heritage With a Gift of Life Insurance
Heritage matters to Matt '67 and Jean Byerly '67 Kokkonen. Matt takes pride in his Finnish ancestry-he immigrated at 16-and played...
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Alumna Makes an Estate Plan Provision and Supports Student Internships
Alumna Makes an Estate Plan Provision and Supports Student Internships
Judie Christensen '69 grew up close to Wheaton, Illinois, and hadn't traveled west of the Mississippi River when...
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Lifelong Planning Yields an Endowed Student Scholarship
Lifelong Planning Yields an Endowed Student Scholarship
Wandalee '54 and John Fullerton have committed their lives to serving others. As a social worker and firefighter...
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Expressing Gratitude Through a Deferred Gift Annuity
Expressing Gratitude Through a Deferred Gift Annuity
Ben and Lauretta Patterson's ties to Westmont go deeper than his 17 years as campus pastor. Two of their children...
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Family Values Inspire a Bequest to Westmont
Family Values Inspire a Bequest to Westmont
Nancy Jude '65, who celebrated her 50th college reunion in 2015, devoted 42 years to the Glendale Unified School District, 26 of them...
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Parents Make a Strategic Planned Gift
Parents Make a Strategic Planned Gift
Gordon and Pat Peterson support Westmont because their son, Erik '87, had a great experience during his college years.
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Investing in The Kingdom of God in Their Estate
Investing in The Kingdom of God in Their Estate
In the 50 years since they graduated, Steve and Christine Manchester Goudy have traced Westmont's influence in their lives. Christine...
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An Estate Plan Provision in Gratitude for Christian Education
An Estate Plan Provision in Gratitude for Christian Education
As a social worker focused on helping children, Alice Washington seeks to give them whatever they need to grow and develop. When she...
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Sold Farmland to Create a Charitable Remainder Trust and Invest in Westmont's Future
Sold Farmland to Create a Charitable Remainder Trust and Invest in Westmont's Future
James '63 and Ginny Van Lew '63 Beck say their liberal arts education gave them a foundation for life, shaping their work, church...
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Gift Annuity to Support Christian Education
Gift Annuity to Support Christian Education
Angela Hanson DeGrado '64 has faced significant pain and loss in her life. Since her teenage years, she has suffered...
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Supporting Their Values with a Bequest to Westmont
Supporting Their Values with a Bequest to Westmont
For 47 years, Jim Fisher has advised businesses, organizations and individuals about financial planning through his firm, Trinity...
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A Scholarship Endowment Honoring the Gift of Education
A Scholarship Endowment Honoring the Gift of Education
With years of experience in human resources, Denise Jackson '78 looks for certain qualities when hiring: integrity, a desire to learn...
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Giving Back to Westmont Through Their Trust
Giving Back to Westmont Through Their Trust
Len Sunukjian '64 heard the call to vocational ministry while earning a master's in education and a teaching credential at Stanford.
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Investing in Christian Education by Making a Provision in Their Will
Investing in Christian Education by Making a Provision in Their Will
Duane '63 and Pat Johnson met in 1964 on a Gordon College trip to Europe. They got engaged on a scenic bridge...
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An endowed Scholarship to Honor Dr. John Lundberg
An endowed Scholarship to Honor Dr. John Lundberg
Greg Dixon '66 enrolled at Westmont hoping to sing with the Westmont Quartet, a group he admired as a youngster growing up in...
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An Estate Plan Provision to Develop Competent and Courageous Christian Leaders
An Estate Plan Provision to Develop Competent and Courageous Christian Leaders
Looking back, Jan Thornton-Cheveres '57 believes her time at Westmont set in motion important events in her life.
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Life-Long Collectors Leave a Legacy of Art
Life-Long Collectors Leave a Legacy of Art
He's a software engineer who earned a doctorate in computer science after majoring in music and philosophy. She's...
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A Bequest Honors Their Lifelong Ministry
A Bequest Honors Their Lifelong Ministry
Leo '59 and Molly Moellering '60 Tautfest began a lifelong partnership in ministry at Westmont. For two summers, they participated in...
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Serving Wycliffe And Expressing Gratitude with a Gift Annuity
Serving Wycliffe And Expressing Gratitude with a Gift Annuity
Nancy Lanier '49 devoted her life to living in Mexico and translating the New Testament into two Otomi dialects. Until a few years...
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An Estate Plan Provision Honoring the Value of a Christian Education
An Estate Plan Provision Honoring the Value of a Christian Education
Lifelong Colorado residents, Brad and Georgi Pelsue live in Denver in sight of the scenic, soaring Rocky Mountains. They love the...
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Longtime Educators Support Tomorrow's Teachers
Longtime Educators Support Tomorrow's Teachers
Edna Bauer and her late husband, Merritt '56, have been connected with Westmont for 65 years. They have given...
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Their Support for Westmont Survives a Trial by Fire
Their Support for Westmont Survives a Trial by Fire
Marian Lorenz Groff '59 and her husband Jerry lost their home of 46 years in Montecito during the Tea Fire of 2008. "It exploded like...
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A Gift for Building and Grounds Benefits All Students
A Gift for Building and Grounds Benefits All Students
Ken and Melissa Smith '78 Strongman have dedicated their lives to education. To help a wide range of students at Westmont, they've established the Ken and Melissa Strongman Buildings and Grounds Endowment.
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