A little planning now can make a big difference for generations to come.

“Tony received scholarships that got him through Tufts; that’s why he wanted to give something back to the school.”

“Medicine was not just his vocation or profession, but his favorite hobby,” Ophelia Lepore recalls of her husband Tony, A40, M43. While on vacation in Turkey, Tony ventured to Kos, the island of Hippocrates, in order to visit a tree believed to be the site of an ancient classroom. “He looked at the world through the eyes of a physician 24/7.”

Ophelia believes one of the best decisions she and Tony made together was to establish a charitable remainder unitrust upon his retirement in order to create the Dr. Anthony and Ophelia Lepore Endowed Scholarship Fund at the Tufts School of Medicine. Ophelia has continued to support the scholarship in Tony’s memory. She remembers Tony giving to Tufts even when there was no money in the checkbook, and hopes that his philanthropy will pave the way for future generations of doctors as kindhearted as her husband. Dr. Lepore practiced family medicine in Gardner, Maine for 46 years.

  “The Tufts family is an extension of our family,” says Gary Caldwell, university director of rowing. “Tufts’ leaders have a vision that we share and enthusiastically endorse.”

When Gary’s mother passed away last year, her frugal Yankee investing made it possible for Gary and his wife, Janet Silva, to start planning not only for their retirement but also for a charitable gift. “I knew my mom would be pleased if we tithed a certain percentage of her estate to good works.”

Gary and Janet (an assistant athletic trainer) considered various gift planning options and found a vehicle that worked—they established a deferred gift annuity to benefit the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine as a tribute to Gary’s mother’s work with rescue dogs and her commitment to the well-being of animals. This type of gift annuity allowed them to make the gift now but defer the income stream until they retire.

“I have chosen to support Tufts during my lifetime and through my estate plans because a Tufts education does not end at graduation.”

Lloyd W. Pote, E37, is pictured here rebuilding a vintage Staggerwing biplane in the workshop that he constructed. His grandson, Gregory P. Murphy, A06, has been helping him with this multiyear project.

Tufts University and alumni connections have played a significant role throughout Lloyd’s life. His father, Frank W. Pote, was a professor of physics at Tufts from 1912 to 1953, and Lloyd was one of his students. Lloyd credits his alma mater with his career success because he was able to pursue a double major in mechanical and electrical engineering, an academic pursuit that required a special request to move classes around. After serving for the Navy during World War II, Lloyd partnered with fellow Tufts graduates, John A. Cognetta, E40, and Charles P. Ciaffone, E41, to found CPC Engineering Co., where he spent his career.

In 1982, Lloyd, his business partner, and other CPC Engineering employees created the Charles P. Ciaffone and Lloyd W. Pote Scholarship to provide scholarships to deserving engineering students at Tufts. He also joined with family and friends to establish the Frank W. Pote Memorial Fund to financially assist deserving students majoring in physics. He has created a bequest in his estate plans to support the memorial fund.

Lloyd and his wife Eileen raised four children in Sturbridge, MA, where he participated in the town’s government for 47 years, continues to walk four miles a day and engineer projects like his plane above.

“Carl was a very generous person, but at the same time very thoughtful with his money. We are so glad that his estate will be benefiting scholarships at Tufts University. This would have made him very proud.”- Joseph and Mary King of Peabody, Massachusetts.

Carl Henry Fredrickson, A54, remembered Tufts University in his will by leaving a bequest of $1.1 million which will support scholarships to undergraduate students attending Tufts. Carl was a French major, and loved the liberal arts. His dear friends, Joseph and Mary King, embraced Carl into their family and, to this day, remember Carl vividly for his love for hiking, reading and banking. Another dear friend of Carl's was Anthony Roscigno, with whom he went on annual extended hikes.

“My uncle taught me that you should give until it feels good. When you have to stretch a bit, it makes you feel good because you know you have done something special. We cannot help but feel good about what we have done for our schools. Establishing a charitable remainder trust was a win-win situation for us.”

Dr. Edward A. Nalebuff, A49, M53, and Marcia S. Nalebuff, jointly established a charitable remainder trust, in honor of their 50th reunions and to benefit both their alma maters, Tufts University and Wheaton College. This enabled them to supplement their retirement and help their schools at the same time. Edward received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Tufts and had a long and rewarding career as a member of Tufts Medicine’s clinical faculty. Ultimately the funds from the trust will be added to scholarships that the Nalebuffs previously established.

“A patient whose child I delivered gave us a gift, a blue delft tile from Holland that reads, ‘To live is to learn, to learn is to know, to know is to grow, to grow is to give, to give is to live.’ Tufts opened up a new world of understanding for me. We wanted to give back to Tufts some of what it has given to us.”

Dr. Alvin Bixon, A43, M47, and Mrs. Bernice Bixon, of Boynton Beach, FL, established charitable remainder unitrusts to benefit Tufts University School of Medicine. The couple, who grew up together in Malden, MA, and raised three daughters in Brookline, MA, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Dr. Bixon credits his successful career in obstetrics and gynecology to superb faculty like Dr. William Damashek, Dr. David Rapport, Dr. Louis Phaneuf, Dr. Alonzo Paine, and Dr. H. Edward MacMahon. He describes his time at Tufts as “a great adventure.”

“The kind of academic immersion and mentorship that students find at Tufts allows us to push beyond the constraints of traditional classrooms, beyond the borders of our own communities and nations. We have to be able to view the world in an integrated way.”

Matan Chorev, a native of Israel, is a fourth year Tufts/New England Conservatory Dual Degree Program student, majoring in Political Science and Cello Performance. He co-founded the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), traveling with other students on fact-finding missions to Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt, and co-producing a documentary that was screened to over 1000 people. Matan developed a course, which he now teaches, that allows students in the US and Middle East to collaboratively explore their regions’ relationship using web conferencing technology. He is the recipient of numerous academic and musical performance honors and participates regularly in musical festivals throughout the Americas and in Israel.

“Funding from the Friedman School enabled me to be more creative in my work and allowed me to engage and mentor Tufts undergraduate and graduate students in my PhD research. My fellow doctoral students and I feel committed to addressing the need for increased scholarship and research funds for future PhD students at our school.”

Lorraine S. Cordeiro, F05, has worked extensively on behalf of children in underserved populations – from Lowell, Massachusetts to Tanzania to Cambodia. An Albert Schweitzer Fellow and recipient of the Tufts University Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service (among numerous other awards), Lorraine conducted her doctoral research on health and nutrition among adolescents in Tanzania under the umbrella of UNICEF. From Tanzania originally, Lorraine now resides in Lowell with her husband, where the two are expecting their first child in January.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to people like Dr. Petralis. His career meant so much to him that he found a way to support his junior colleagues. Dental education is so expensive – pursuit of a specialty can be financially impossible for talented dentists. Those of us in the Periodontology postdoctoral program definitely plan to give back.”

Maria Cristina Ferriol, D03, K06, is the recipient of the Richard J. Petralis Endowed Scholarship Fund, established by Dr. Petralis’s generous bequest. While a dental student at Tufts, Maria received numerous awards, including the Quintessence Award for Clinical Achievement in Periodontics and the Alumni Council Excellence Award in Public Health Dentistry. She has volunteered with the Smile Squad, the Colgate “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures” Mobile Van, and the Greater Boston Food Bank. From Puerto Rico originally, Maria now resides in Malden, Massachusetts.

“I’m deeply honored to be Tufts’ first John Richard Skuse Class of 1941 Professor of Political Science. The Skuse Chair is more than an honorary title since part of the endowment provides financial support for my research. This extends what I can do professionally and for that I am thankful.”

Dr. Jeffrey M. Berry holds the John Richard Skuse Class of 1941 Endowed Chair in Political Science, established through Mr. Skuse’s generous bequest. He specializes in the areas of interest groups and citizen participation. His most recent book, A Voice for Nonprofits, received the Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Book Award of the Political Organizations and Parties Section of the American Political Science Association. Dr. Berry has also received support for his research from the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Surdna Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“Scholarships and financial aid have given me the opportunity to attend one of the best universities and to try new things – like Russian – that I wouldn’t have been able to try otherwise. After I graduate, I will definitely contribute to the university. I want to give other students the same opportunity I had.”

Loi K. To, A06, of Hartford, Connecticut, is double majoring in Political Science and Russian and receives scholarship funds made possible by generous bequests to Tufts University. He participates extensively in community service and has already fundraised for the university through his participation in the 2004 President’s Marathon Challenge. He hopes to study immigration law after graduation, inspired by a desire to help make the transition easier for families like his own, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam.

“Tufts was very supportive to students of my generation during World War II, which was a very difficult emotional period of time. I thought it would be a great thing if I could give students today the same opportunity I had then. I set up a scholarship fund and supported the Physics Department through a gift annuity. Gift annuities are straightforward – every quarter you receive an income, then ultimately, the university and its students receive a substantial gift.”

Dr. Kathryn McCarthy, Ph.D., (J44, G46) of Lexington, Massachusetts, is a professor emeritus of physics, former dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and former provost and senior vice president of Tufts University. She is a recipient of the Tufts Distinguished Service Award, a member of the Cape Cod Tufts Club, and a Friend of the Library.

"The Arkin Chair is a direct expression of Dr. Arkin's commitment to the Department of Psychiatry and to the medical school, and also represents the legacy of my predecessors. Their contributions endure. This chair embodies our ongoing responsibility to educate Tufts' students and find new knowledge about psychiatric disorders and the intersections of psychiatry and medicine."

Paul Summergrad, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he holds the Dr. Frances S. Arkin Endowed Chair, established through Dr. Arkin's generous bequest. He is Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the Tufts-New England Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children. Trained in psychiatry and internal medicine, he has held numerous leadership positions within the field of psychiatry. His scholarship and research has focused on the care of patients with combined medical and psychiatric illness; neuropsychiatry; psychopharmacology; and on psychiatry’s history and development.

Carl remembered Tufts University in his will.
About Carl
About his gift