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Alumni Giving Back
Lance Beizer Appointed Head of Town Hill Society
IF YOU ASK THE Rev. Canon Lance Beizer ’56 why he chose to become a member of the Town Hill Society, he answers without hesitation. Beizer, who has just been appointed the Town Hill Society Chair, follows the late Frederick Frank ’50 in the post, serving as the School’s chief gift planning representative and advocate.
“My wife, Ann, and I started doing an estate plan in 2013,” he says. “That is when I set up the planned gift, a charitable remainder annuity trust. Why do I give? I think back to the experiences I had as a student at Hotchkiss, and I look at what is happening now at Hotchkiss. And I am impressed.”
Beizer moved back to Connecticut after 50 years in California and a law career in which he served in the district attorney’s office, first as a prosecutor and then as an advocate for children in abuse cases, before retiring to begin a new career in the ministry. Living in nearby Canaan, CT, he became active as a Hotchkiss volunteer and served for six years on the Hotchkiss Board of Governors (BOG).
“I had the opportunity to sit in on some classes and to meet other members of the BOG,” he says. “I was impressed by the alumni I met on the Board. And in the School, I found differences of socialization and cooperation among the students. Hotchkiss was very good intellectually when I was there. Dr. Allan Hoey (Classics instructor from 1941-1972) captured my imagination. We read the Iliad and discussed the issues there. He encouraged thinking about ethics and morality.
“Now there is an emphasis on ethics, but also on working cooperatively. Students have a lot more opportunity to speak in class, as well as in discussions and debate. It was all-male when I was there. As I recall, there were only two Black students at the time, and they didn’t overlap. You went back to your room to study until the lights were turned off. You studied individually. Now there’s just a very different mix of students, and it’s coed. I’d love to be able to go to school there now,” he says.
Beizer is among 212 living members of the Town Hill Society, according to Brent Alderman Sterste, director of gift planning. The oldest member is an alumnus of the Class of 1938, and the youngest is a member of the Class of 2012. The total value of known planned gifts is $35.5 million; 149 gifts have an unknown value. On average, realized planned gifts account for five percent of gift revenue for the School each year.
To show the powerful effect of planned giving, Alderman Sterste shares the example of the third capital gift made to Hotchkiss. It was a bequest of $20,000 in 1919 from Gerald Hinckley ’10. His bequest is now worth approximately $5 million of today’s endowment.
“In the same way today, planned gifts of all types and sizes continue to have a profound, long-term impact on the School,” he noted. “Hotchkiss will remain strong for generations to come, due in large part to the generosity of the Town Hill Society members.” H
—REV. CANON LANCE BEIZER ’56
To learn more about the Town Hill Society, go to www.hotchkiss.plannedgiving.org, or contact Brent Alderman Sterste at (860) 435-3263.
DAY
Thank you to everyone who helped to make 1 Day for
Hotchkiss on March 3, 2022 such a huge success! Your support of The Hotchkiss Fund affects each student, faculty, and staff member and affirms the meaningful role of our donors in the School’s tradition of excellence and philanthropy.
1,138 Donors $799,732 Raised
DONORS BY CONSTITUENT GROUPS
657
ALUMNI
235
CURRENT PARENTS
ALUMNI CLASSES WITH MOST DONORS BY DECADE
1. 1930s 1935 2. 1940s 1943 1944 3. 1950s 1953 4. 1960s 1967 5. 1970s 1972 6. 1980s 1987 7. 1990s 1991 8. 2000s 2002 9. 2010s 2018 10. 2020s 2021
79
FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS
167
PARENTS OF ALUMNI, GRANDPARENTS, AND FRIENDS
RANKING OF DESIGNATIONS
IN ORDER OF MOST SELECTED
1. GREATEST NEED 2. FINANCIAL AID 3. ATHLETICS 4. DIVERSITY,
EQUITY &
INCLUSION
5. ARTS 6. ACADEMICS 7. FACULTY SUPPORT 8. CONSERVATION &
ENVIRONMENTAL
INITIATIVES
Reunion Class Challenge:
CUSTOM T-SHIRT WINNERS!
Most Dollars Raised: Class of 1977
$51,825 (7 Gifts)
DAY OF GIVING AROUND THE GLOBE
USA 46 STATES! Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, India, Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore Republic, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates
Most Donors: Class of 1987
$23,373 (38 Gifts)
CURRENT PARENT
PARTICIPATION BY CLASS
2022 73 2023 76 2024 74 2025 64
Volunteers Share Why They Love to Give Back
DAVE BALDERSTON ’72,
P’07,’12,’14 LEAD AGENT AND 50TH REUNION CHAIR
I find that many of my classmates agree that their education at Hotchkiss was the best they received at any level. That is worth supporting so that others coming after us can continue to experience the same thing. Day of Giving created a nice opportunity to compound my giving with that of others. I was pleased that we had a really great response among the class!
RUTH GODIN P’25
PARENT AGENT
When you see an institution striving for excellence and doing exceptional work in that process, it should be supported in any way possible. Hotchkiss has created this beautiful tapestry of a community we should all be proud of, and the entire parent community can empower Hotchkiss to continue its work. Hotchkiss’s rating on niche.com (where we were placed as the #2 boarding high school in the country) is in part due to the confidence parents have shown in the School and what it has promised and delivered to our children.
CINDY SCHMIDT SOFTY ’77, P’07,’09
CLASS AGENT
I enjoy staying connected with the Hotchkiss community and our Class of ’77. As one of the first girls to attend Hotchkiss, the energy and excitement with the change to being coed was amplified, and we have an extraordinary class to show for it. Volunteering is an easy way for me to give a little bit back to the school that had the greatest impact on my life. Not only did Hotchkiss enrich my life, but both our children (Schuyler ’07 and Ben ’09) flourished here. I support The Hotchkiss Fund to help ensure current and future students can also take advantage of these extraordinary opportunities.
CALDWELL HART ’87, P’16,’20
As an alumnus, former Board of Governors member, and parent to two graduates, I feel it is important to support Hotchkiss so we continue to recruit faculty, students, and have the resources to evolve. Establishing the financial resources for the School ensures that we have safe and modern facilities, a strong and committed faculty, and diverse students working in concert in the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth. I choose to increase my personal outreach on the Day of Giving to remember our son, Peter Hart ’16. He is no longer with us but had good friends in his class, coaches/faculty like Mr. [Pierre] Yoo, Mrs. [Christy] Cooper, Mr. [Tom] Drake, and others who made an impact.
ABEL ACUNA ’07
CLASS AGENT
Volunteering for The Hotchkiss Fund is a small way to express my gratitude for Hotchkiss and everyone who contributed to my experience at the School. Serving others and making a positive impact on the world are principles we’ve all learned from attending Hotchkiss, and volunteering for The Hotchkiss Fund is a natural practice of those lessons. I have to congratulate the team at Hotchkiss for implementing new online tools that enable every participant to become a leader. These new tools make it easy for everyone to feel included, visible, and effective during times of giving. The more we can empower others around us to lead, the more they’ll take ownership and drive results!
AARON ’92 LEAD AGENT
AND ALICIA OBERMAN P’24
We know how impactful a Hotchkiss experience can be, and we want to be able to support the School so they can offer that experience to the most people possible. Our class got a late start but has been making great strides giving back. We thought issuing a challenge would be a good way to get more people involved.
Courage Garden
IN OCTOBER, HOTCHKISS WILL UNVEIL a beautiful new addition to the campus: Courage Garden.
Dedicated to those impacted by sexual abuse during their time at Hotchkiss and beyond, Courage Garden will provide an enduring place of comfort, beauty, and peace. It will come to life this summer thanks to extensive work on the part of committed alumni who are dedicated to creating a space on campus for healing and contemplation. This work has been led by Martha Bryan ’77, Carolyn Eaton ’77, Margaret Simpson ’77, Anne Owen Armfield ’77, Andy Luke ’77, and Fred Wacker ’77, among numerous others.
Upon announcement of the project, gifts of more than $200,000 poured into a restricted fund created for the garden, and the School committed $175,000. In recent weeks, alumni have generously provided additional gifts to complete construction funding.
The garden will be located on the hillside just north of the 6th fairway of the golf course where it will have a spectacular view of Lake Wononscopomuc. It will feature a beautifully designed selection of trees, shrubs, grasses, native plantings, and stonework that will complement the existing landscape and enhance the campus.
Courage Garden will be located north of the sixth fairway on the Hotchkiss Golf Course.
Landscape architects Mariani Landscape have completed the garden’s design. Construction is underway and will continue throughout the summer.
Please mark your calendars to join us for a special dedication ceremony in October. H
DEDICATION CEREMONY: OCTOBER 1, 2022 • 1 P.M.
Please look for more information on the construction of the garden in the summer issue of the Hotchkiss Magazine. Details about the dedication event will be communicated closer to the date.
There is an ongoing need to support Courage Garden care and maintenance. Please contact Ninette Enrique, chief advancement officer, at nenrique@hotchkiss.org, if you are interested in making a contribution to support this important and enduring enhancement to the School.
