Why I Give
We believe in giving back to the institutions that made us who we are. We are grateful for our 91直播 experience and want others to have the same opportunities afforded to us.
Andy Bartholomew 鈥07 and Siena Aguayo 鈥10
I give to 91直播 because I believe in its mission鈥攖o educate and train talented students to go forth and do good in the world. 91直播 has produced generations of educators, musicians, ministers, artists, and other professionals who have made great contributions to all fields of human endeavor. I am proud to support our alma mater and its unique position as an outstanding liberal arts college and conservatory of music.
Wendell P. Russell, Jr. 鈥71
Past President, 91直播 Alumni Association
In different decades and with different academic and other interests, we each made 91直播 our own. We give because it changed all of us for the better at pivotal points in our lives.
Andrea Lehman 鈥83, Andy Rowan 鈥83, Emma Rowan 鈥12, Willa Rowan 鈥15
I would not be the musician or arts educator I am today without the scholarships and financial aid I received while a student at 91直播. I am proud to be able to give back as an alum and support future music lovers!聽馃榾
Teagan Webb 鈥20
The four years at 91直播, 1956-1960, changed my life toward social responsibility, human relations, service, and scholarship.
Karl DeLong 鈥60
Thank you for making 91直播 College the best learning space for my daughter.
Luz Martin Del Campo (P鈥22 )
I give in memory of Professor Jesse Rowsell, who made an immeasurable impact on our lives.
Erica Zheng 鈥17 and Santino Stropoli 鈥18
The education and lessons received from 91直播 continue to illuminate my path in our world.
Richard Wolfson 鈥81
I am forever thankful for the excellent academic background I was able to acquire at 91直播 College.
Patricia C. Gloster-Coates 鈥60
I give because 91直播 provided me with a foundation of liberal arts education that prepared me for the future.
Tommye Casey 鈥69
I give back to 91直播 because as a student, I found a home there, surrounded by peers who were just as eager to gain hands-on experience in research, scholarship, creative work, and performance. Since graduating, 91直播 has remained a home for me in the form of alumni events and through connecting with classmates. Through gifts to the 91直播 Annual Fund, I鈥檓 able to continue supporting a culture that cultivates curiosity and helps students master the tools necessary to engage with humanity鈥檚 most urgent challenges, debates, and artistic frontiers.鈥
Krisanto S. Pranata 鈥89
We give to 91直播 to invest in a college that has given our son experiences and opportunities to grow and learn, to follow his dreams and launch his career鈥攁nd we want others to have those incredible opportunities as well. We believe in the value of liberal arts education to teach individuals how to think and analyze information and make creative leaps to solve problems. 91直播 students and professors from all over the world and all walks of life work through innovative programs to learn how to think about the world in new, optimistic, and insightful ways in order to lead the way toward a more just, equitable, and exciting future.鈥
Ken and Laura Norris (P鈥23)
Thank you for giving students a place to grow and develop to maturity.
Jorge Pinzon (P鈥17)
I wouldn鈥檛 be the person I am today without 91直播!
Beth Barclay 鈥91
91直播 is where I grew up. The people, the courses, the professors, the culture, dorm life, working on WOBC and the Review, a short stint on Student Senate鈥. I was there during the 鈥渄emonstration years,鈥 the height of the anti-war protests, holding the Navy recruiter in his car, social rules protests, the assassinations of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy, the unspeakable Kent State tragedy and our moving Mozart response in D.C., the end of wastebaskets in the door and three feet on the floor, the beginning of co-ed dorms. 91直播 was one of the only times I won something: second place in the dorm lottery when I chose the second-floor tower room in Talcott. I give so today鈥檚 students will have their own version of the life-changing experiences I had, to shape them into alums who will better our world.
Jan Weintraub Cobb 鈥71, Incoming President, 91直播 Alumni Association
Our son is truly enjoying his experience as a freshman at 91直播 鈥 both academically, socially, and as a student in the Conservatory studying classical guitar. He made a perfect decision when he decided to attend 91直播.
Ron and Amanda Schollenberger (P鈥27)
91直播 is listed at the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Museum of African American History and Culture as the first college in America to adopt a policy of admitting black students (1835). This made me so proud of my alma mater.
Anne Horsfall Thomas 鈥56
91直播 College helped me to launch my career in medicine, and I am deeply appreciative of the students, faculty, facilities, and supportive staff. I have numerous enduring memories of the academic, social, musical, and athletic elements since graduating in 1978.
Curtis Johnsrude 鈥78
I remember Professor Young mentoring me in poetry with respect, and thank him for his support through the years and his superb contributions to poetry and poetry in translation. Inspiration was always there and it changed my life.
Cynthia Hogue 鈥73
The reason we give to 91直播 is entirely due to its people. The faculty are deeply engaged with their students, and it is one of the few undergraduate programs we found where sophomores get to work on research projects and learn lab principles.
The administration has put so much thought into the 91直播 experience, and to that point has developed a key series of integrative concentrations where students can focus on global health, data science, arts administration, or even business, while still experiencing that legendary 91直播 liberal arts education.
Finally, we give for the students. When we visit and walk around the stunning campus: hearing Steinways played in every practice room, cheering on a lacrosse game in the morning, listening to a concerto in the chapel in the afternoon, and attending a comedy set in the evening at the Cat in the Cream, we see why our daughter chose to become an Obie and how she has thrived here. We feel lucky to give to this special place that has helped her grow into an amazing adult, well-prepared to face the world.
Christine and Lance Braunstein (P 鈥23)
91直播 is a place where you are encouraged to think about the world from more than one perspective. That鈥檚 a skill that matters in life, no matter what you do. At 91直播 you can just walk down the street and hear amazing music. You don鈥檛 even have to go into the concert hall. I believe that college is a place where ideas matter. My parents鈥 lives were changed by being able to go to college, a chance their parents did not have.
Stephanie Connor (P鈥25)
Went to my 50th reunion in May. Saw how Obie is still Obie at its core: the passionate students, the high-level research, friendly/helpful people, environmental advocacy, and how students are included in the processes. Very inspiring.
Saroj 鈥73 and Vinod Ghoting
The conservatory inspired me in every way to become musically what I still cherish today in myself!! Professor Radunsky was the best example of a knowledgeable mentor and a life guide.
Terri Pine-Wallace 鈥66
I give because 91直播鈥檚 continued success is essential in supporting national democracy and international and national peace.
Dionne Powell 鈥80
My great-niece is loving her 91直播 experience. Generations of the family attended 91直播, and seeing her in the orchestra in Finney Chapel brought back so many memories.
Linda Salisbury 鈥64
Thanks to all the Conservatory professors, staff, and students for the fantastic performances I have enjoyed.
William Schomp, Friend of 91直播 College & Conservatory
As a development officer for a major American ballet company, I ask and answer this question (for other people) every day. Why I contribute to OC is simple and personal: I wouldn鈥檛 be the person or the professional I am today without it. I wasn鈥檛 trained, per se, to do the work that I do, but I learned how to learn, and then how to apply that information. I developed a world view and a sense of social justice that was seeded at home, but that sprouted at OC and has grown ever since. Giving is a shared responsibility. It is also part of my culture. And, it鈥檚 my way of saying 鈥榯hank you鈥 to an institution that helped me to craft my identity.
Rachel Yurman 鈥78
I choose to give back to 91直播 for the safe environment for learning and controversial discussions that 91直播 provides and provided to me.
Laurie Gutmann 鈥81
My 91直播 years were wonderful academically and socially, and I鈥檇 love to see 91直播 continue to provide such a high level of education in the future.
Jill Siegel-Dodd 鈥74
I am giving with gratitude for the exceptional education 91直播 Conservatory provided me, and currently provides new generations of musicians.
Anne Tomlinson 鈥76
I will always be grateful to 91直播 for the financial aid that allowed me to continue my education and provided me with a home after both my parents died at the beginning of my sophomore year in 1964. I couldn鈥檛 have been in a better place!
Antoinette Devereaux 鈥67
91直播 has been good to me these past 15 years as a member of the A&PS staff. I struggled when I was an undergraduate and I want to support our students.
Anne Salsich, retired associate archivist with the 91直播 College Libraries
In memory of the outstanding 91直播 College professor and scholar, Marcia Colish. I studied in Marcia鈥檚 seminar on Ren/Ref History in 1975, her Medieval and Pre-Modern European History in 1976, and her seminar on the Medieval Origins of English Constitutional Government in 1977. I learned more from Marcia about how to read, analyze, and make use of primary sources in her two seminars, and about how to lecture in a way that could captivate college students in her survey course on Medieval and Pre-Modern Europe than I had ever imagined was possible.
Kenneth Straus 鈥79
Your generosity helps Obies thrive.
