American Magazine: November 2013

thank you
ILLUSTRATION BY BRUCE MORSER
If not for the generosity of an alumnus
who first walked the campus half a century before, senior Kyung Eun Kim
would’ve had to leave American University and the United States altogether.
The psychology major, known to friends as Daisy, came to Atlanta from
her native South Korea—by way of China—when she was 16. A bubbly
student who has her sights set on medical school, Kim has lived apart from
her parents for six years. She relies on scholarships, including the Barnard
Scholarship—established by John Fiske Barnard, Kogod/MBA ’59, in memory
of his late wife, Lovelle—to finance her AU education.
“My dad gathers and resells recyclable car parts in Japan, but his
business was devastated by the tsunami in 2011. Without the Barnard
Scholarship, it would’ve been impossible for me to stay here,” Kim says.
As beneficial as the Barnard Scholarship—awarded annually to a
psychology major—is, it’s not Barnard’s only gift to the university. The
longtime federal employee, who passed away in July following a battle with
cancer, first established a charitable gift annuity in 1995. Inspired by
psychology professor James Gray, with whom the Barnards took classes, he
then made provisions for a future scholarship through his estate plans. After
consulting financial and legal advisors, however, he realized that by making
a current gift of appreciated stock, he could eliminate capital gains taxes
and enjoy the benefits of the gift during his lifetime.
“I never missed that stock,” Barnard said a few months before his passing,
“but I’ve had the pleasure of meeting wonderful young scholarship recipients
every year. They have shown genuine appreciation for the assistance, but it is
I who am grateful; our meetings have made a difference in my life.”
Kim, who says Barnard and his wife, Jan Anderson, not only welcomed
her into their home but into their family, is inspired by the alum’s warmth
and legacy of philanthropy.
“The Barnards made a huge difference in my life. I can’t wait to pay
it forward.”
FOR INFORMATION ON CHARITABLE ESTATE DONATIONS, VISIT AMERICAN.EDU/PLANNEDGIVING
AMERICAN.EDU/ALUMNI 37