by Baylor Bassett
I have only been employed at UWG for 9 months, but I am constantly amazed by the passion our alumni have for their alma mater. During my short time on campus, many members of our McIntosh Circle have shared reflections of their time on campus and why they have chosen to give back to the university. One of my favorite stories came from Walter Jones, Class of 66.
“In the spring of 1963, after several sears out of school, I applied late to West Georgia. The Admissions Office waived the deadline and opened the door for me, and that initial personal encouragement and support came to characterize my experience at UWG.
“It was my third year at West Georgia that I met Jeane Carmichael, whose charms captured me. During our walks across front campus from the library to her dorm, we formed a relationship that has grown in depth for over 40 years. Thus our planned gift to the university is a deferred payment for the difference that our matriculation and our meeting have made in our lives. It is also an advance for the women and men who will walk that same campus after we are gone. May their lives be enriched, as our have been, by our alma mater.
“Now in retirement, the stimulation of our college years continues to spark interest in ongoing learning, Jeane and I have taken some trips to see first-hand the great art we studied as classmates. We enrolled in a drawing class and a class on landscape design, and we’re reviewing some of our UWG courses which have new relevance for the world we’re living in. Jeane is brushing up on her Spanish and I am writing something other than sermons. UWG provided us with a foundation upon which we continue to build. What a gift! Anything that we can give back pales in comparison.”
Making a Legacy Gift to the UWG is all about emotion. It is clear that the Jones’ have a passion not only for each other but for the University. I tell our alumni and friends of the university that no matter what they are passionate about, we can take their passion and make it a lasting legacy at the University of West Georgia.
Baylor Bassett is the associate director for Legacy Giving, Honors College, and Ingram Library.
