Bequest from UA family member demonstrates that giving never grows old
Geraldine “Gerry” M. Robinson was 104 when she passed away May 19, 2013. The centenarian and widow of UA retiree Roy E. Robinson spent half her life as an educator – but saved her best lesson for last: Don’t let someone else decide how to spend your money; plan ahead and fund your passion.
For both Geraldine and Roy, that passion was education.
Geraldine "Gerry" Robinson blows out candles on a cake in celebration of her 104th birthday. Before her passing in May 2013, she established a scholarship in memory of her husband to benefit UA students pursuing education degrees. (Photo credit: Ohio.com)
The couple, who met in college, dedicated their lives to teaching. Roy retired from Barberton High School after 31 years of social studies and industrial arts instruction, and then spent 17 years in Audio Visual Services at The University of Akron before retiring a second time in 1987. Geraldine, too, began her career in Barberton, teaching a class for students with polio and other physical disabilities, and then dedicating nearly four decades to the Cuyahoga Falls school system, primarily as a second-grade teacher.
When Roy passed away just a year after his retirement from the University, Geraldine searched for a way to honor him while advancing their belief in the value of education. A scholarship in Roy’s memory for students at The University of Akron was the perfect fit.
Established in 1996, The Geraldine M. and Roy E. Robinson Scholarship was created with significant input from Geraldine, who desired that the fund be used to attract outstanding students to The University of Akron to pursue careers in education.
Following Geraldine’s passing in May 2013, the scholarship she lovingly established as a tribute became endowed, thanks to a bequest from her estate. More importantly, Geraldine’s planning meant that she and Roy – long after their deaths – could continue contributing to their life’s passion: educating young people.
The power of planned giving
Including The University of Akron in your estate plans can make a powerful and lasting difference, changing the lives of students in dramatic, positive ways.
To create opportunities that will favorably change students and their families – and ultimately strengthen entire communities – The University of Akron Foundation offers five options to consider when adding the University to your estate plans:
- Unrestricted General Gift
- Gift for a Specific Purpose
- Specific Gift of Property
- Bequest of Remainder of Estate
- Contingent Gift of Remainder Estate
If you would like more information on planned giving, please contact Tim DuFore, executive director of The University of Akron Foundation, at 330.972.6766 or tdufore@uakron.edu.