Charitable Gift of a Partial Interest in a Personal ... - Wagner College

Dr. Theodore Dowd ’50
DR. THEODORE DOWD ’50
Dr. Theodore Dowd ’50 built a lifetime
career in Chemical
Engineering on the foundation
acquired as a chemistry major at Wagner
College.
“I spent some of the best years of my life
living on the Wagner campus. First, it was
in Luther Hall, an army surplus barracks
erected in 1946 to accommodate the
returning veterans. Then, as an upper classman,
I moved into North Hall.”
Heritage Society
Honoring those who have made a commitment
to support the College in a bequest or
estate plan.
Anonymous (9)
Helen Abichandani ’54
Dr. Albert B. Accettola ’41
Richard W. Baller ’51
Ronald A. ’64 & Susan L. Bibbo
Rudolph & Miriam Bischoff
Marion B. Blankley +
Mary B. Boody ’86
Margaret Borkholm +
Ted recalls, “To reach Wagner, I
traveled from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn by
bus to the 69th Street Ferry and sailed
across to Staten Island for a nickel. I
miss that ferry ride to this day.”
He moved out of the New York
City area after graduation and went
to work in the aircraft industry beginning
with Republic Aviation on Long
Island, then to Boeing in
Philadelphia and on to the Lockheed
Aircraft Corporation in Georgia and
California.
“Wagner jump-started my career.
My education opened doors in private
industry (Republic, Boeing,
Lockheed) and government service
with the Department of Defense at
the Pentagon. I worked on the Stealth
Submarine for the Naval Sea Systems
Command. We sailed the submarine
into the San Francisco Bay in the
early 1970’s,” he recalls, “and none of
the surface ships were able to detect us.”
Recently, Ted decided to take advantage
of a special provision in the Internal
Revenue Code for the gift to a charitable
organization like Wagner, of a remainder
interest in a personal residence (see WW
article). Although he's already made the
donation, he resides there and will continue
to do so until his death. When asked
why, Ted offers his thinking on the matter.
“I do not have any heirs,” he says, “and I
Joan Potts Brown ’57
Peter W. ’69 M’71 &
Melissa Latt Brown ’69
Doris Bensen ’44 M’64 &
Dr. Thomas Bucky
Benjamin A. ’48 & Rose Certo
Bessie Copper ’38 +
Patricia Swanson Costie ’57
Dr. Harold L. Crater ’60
John F. ’64 & Carol Gaise Crews ’64
Christopher Deane ’51
John Deane ’53
Dr. Theodore Dowd ’50
Stanley M. Ericsson ’59
feel that there is no one more deserving
than Wagner College to sell my home and
with the proceeds establish a scholarship, in
the name of my wife and myself, for deserving
students.”
When he was made aware of such a tax
advantage, Ted took to the idea almost
immediately. “I discussed the matter with
Wagner's advancement staff," he recalls.
"Since I have no immediate heirs, I do not
want distant relatives coming out of the
woodwork laying claim to my home after
I'm gone. So, I figured it's best to give the
house to Wagner right away.”
This is not Ted's first gift to the College.
A few years ago, he presented the school
with an original Wyland painting entitled,
“THE NEWBORN,” which now hangs in
the Spiro Sports Center. “The painting had
been in my private collection for almost ten
years during which time it had been viewed
only by invited guests and friends. I felt,
just like I’m giving my house, I should
share this beautiful painting with the students,
the alumni, and the students yet to
come.”
When asked his advice for others regarding
the donation of his residence, Ted does
not hesitate to say, “I would recommend
that they go right ahead and donate their
property to Wagner College.”
Anna R. Faires +
Earl L. Freese +
Rev. Robert J. ’56 & Edna L. Furreboe
Rev. Jerel W. Gade ’77
Rev. David C. Gaise ’35
Vincent L. Giacinto M’56
Joan A. Henke Gibney ’60
Gloria Rappold Greening ’43
Rev. David Greer ’50
Joseph R. Greff '66
Robert E. ’58 &
Cathrine Heller Gritman ’60
Dr. Miles Groth
Rev. Lyle R. Guttu
In 1944, just before he enlisted in the
United States Army, Robert Peirano
“walked up the pathway from Van
Duzer Street – the
back way – through
Cunard Hall” and
registered for accelerated
course work
at Wagner College.
“I lived in
Stapleton and every
day for three
months walked up
to go to school,”
until a few months
later when the Army
called and he found
himself landing in
LeHarve, France,
boarding a train
bound for Stahlberg
Germany, and landing
in the front lines
of the Second World
War.
Bob’ 50 and Muriel Peirano
“When I got back in
1947, there were
2800 students on the campus and Jeeps flying
everywhere,” Bob says referring to the
students drawn to college by the benefits of
the G.I. Bill, many of whom took advantage
of the surplus of Army vehicles. Bob
spent the next few years at Wagner, received
Maria Johanna Hall +
Walter G. Hartung ’58
Dr. Carol M. Haupt ’67 M’69
Dr. Walter C. ’71 &
Cynthia Duskin Hausheer ’71
Henry ’59 & Ruth Bergemann Heil ’59
Rita Ketcham Hein ’70 +
Richard A. ’66 & Margaret Herburger
Martin + & Anne Heyer
Dorothee Heins Holmstrup ’41
Anita Posselt Homer ’48 +
Richard M. Hooker Jr. ’69
Leroy N. Houseman ’55 M’57
Dr. Alphonse J. Iannacone ’48
BOB PEIRANO ’50
his education and found time to be a star
member of Wagner’s baseball team.
“My last year, Mr. Stutz (then head of
Wagner maintenance) hired us athletes, to
make a $.50 an hour to work on the
grounds. In 1949, my last year, one of the
last things we did was sod the whole football
field and construct the baseball field
you see now.”
Bob renewed his affiliation with Wagner’s
Ernie R. Jackson ’87
Gotfred C. Jacobsen ’54
Phyllis Jones ’65 +
Gail E. Kelley ’97
Leo Kennedy +
Reginald Kennedy ’56
Ted Klemens ’53
Dr. Gregory P. ’66 H’00 & Patricia Knapp
Rev. Howard Alexander Kuhnle ’29+
Helen Lahm +
Barbara E. White Lampman ’73
Fred W. Lange ’53
Paul A. Larsen ’68 M’74 +
Evelyn Goysick Larson ’66 &
athletic program years later after a career as
an efficiency expert with Ford Motor, Mack
Truck and Western Electric that took him
to New Jersey,
Michigan and
Maryland. He
became baseball
coach and golf coach
for 12 years. He also
helped lead the Sal
Alberti Memorial
Golf Classic for
many years raising
more $500, 000.00
dollars for the
College. He entered
the Hall of Fame in
2005.
On his gift of his
home to the
College, Bob says,
“We didn’t have any
direct heirs. We have
a lot of nieces and
nephews, and you
don’t want anybody
to feel left out.” He
and his wife considered how best to “be
remembered to the college” and like Dr.
Theodore Dowd, decided to take advantage
of the Internal Revenue’s “remainder interest
in a personal residence.”
He adds that he hopes others would, “do
the same darn thing.”
Nils Larson ’66
Douglas G. Lawrence ’52 + &
Elizabeth Hamann Lawrence ’52
Elsie Schatz Love ’50 M’61
Muriel Marshall +
Viola Wanzer Maxfield ’51 &
Earl E. Maxfield Jr.
James G. McCusker ’61
Eleanor S. Parsons Messner ’52
Christian W. Miller ’84
William James Mitchell ’59 +
Dr. Thomas G. ’65 H’00 &
Polly Peck Moles ’68
Dr. Joseph P. Monge ’34 H’81 +