Gifts - Marine Biological Laboratory

The year 2008 was also significant in the
area of planned giving at the MBL. The
legacy of two devoted MBL alumni and
researchers, Arthur and Laura Colwin,
continued with the receipt of a remarkable
bequest valued at nearly $5,000,000.
Last year the Annual Fund saw a 47%
increase, thanks to the inspired leadership
of several board members. We hoped we
could reproduce and even exceed those
results in 2008. I am pleased to report
that once again MBL Trustees, helped
along by more than a thousand alumni,
scientists and friends, made this happen
with a record total of $957,764 in this allimportant
unrestricted category of funding.
We look forward to breaking this record in
2009 by raising a landmark $1,000,000 for
the Annual Fund.
As we reported last year, the MBL is in
the early stages of a campaign to raise
significant funds to advance initiatives in
several important areas: Environment &
Human Well-Being, Discovery Research
& Education, Regenerative Biology &
Medicine, Capital Projects, and Annual
Operating Support. Many of these
initiatives further our existing scientific
and educational goals, while others expand
our core expertise into new areas. Still
others meld disciplines to tap emergent
discoveries. Between June of 2006 and the
end of 2008, the MBL raised an astonishing
$65 million in support of these important
initiatives.
Not included in the year-end figures was
another momentous achievement in
the life of the institution. Thanks to the
efforts of Director and CEO Gary Borisy
and Director of Development and External
Relations Pamela Hinkle, the MBL actively
sought support for its programs in the
$1 billion Massachusetts Life Sciences
bill that was signed into law on June 16,
2008. With broad-reaching support from
legislators including Senate President
Therese Murray, Senator Robert O’Leary,
Representatives Matthew Patrick and Eric
Turkington, and countless others from
around the Commonwealth, a $10 million
authorization to fund infrastructure
improvements in support of research
and education at the MBL was included
in the legislation. On November 17,
2008, Governor Deval Patrick held a
press conference at the MBL to announce
that the $10 million would be released
in support of the renovation of Loeb
Laboratory. Speaking about the $1 billion
Massachusetts Life Sciences Act he said
he was “. . . delighted to see part of this
important funding put to use with the
vital research being done at the Marine
Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.”
This first year of my tenure as co-chair of
the Development Committee, along with
Chris Weld, has been a phenomenal one for
MBL fundraising. I am proud of what we’ve
accomplished and wish to acknowledge
the superb work by the MBL’s Director and
CEO, Gary Borisy, the external relations
staff, and my fellow Trustees. It is, however,
to our generous donors whose names
appear on the following pages—as well as
those who wish to remain anonymous—
that I extend special thanks for your faith
in, and ongoing support of, the Marine
Biological Laboratory.
—Jeffrey Pierce, Co-Chair
gifts 71
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (left) and
MBL Director and CEO Gary Borisy discuss plans
for the renovation of the Loeb Laboratory building.
(T. Kleindinst)