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Giving
webbtodayGIVING
THE WEBB SCHOOLS
A master teacher filled with curiosity, character and a lifetime of dedicated service to The Webb Schools and Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
IT’S A DESCRIPTION that applies not only to Ray Alf, but also to Dr. Donald L. “Doc” Lofgren, the beloved museum director who stepped into a new role as director emeritus earlier this year.
Lofgren’s leadership has been so noteworthy that it is hard to measure in singular achievements. The world-class, nationally accredited, fully renovated, one-of-a-kind museum on a high school campus is a testament to his hard work. Hundreds of loyal alumni and friends return year after year for Peccary Trips to Barstow and around the world to hunt for “MQ” (aka museum quality) fossils and sing the Peccary song around the campfire.
Not surprisingly, Lofgren’s transition from the directorship to his accomplished successor, Dr. Andrew Farke, sparked a wave of appreciation and a desire for recognition from museum loyalists. One such example is Dr. Kenneth J. De Nault ’61. De Nault is an emeritus professor of geology at the University of Northern Iowa, a former student of Ray Alf and a devoted supporter of the Alf Museum.
Working with such notable leadership volunteers as museum Board of Trustees Chair R. Larry Ashton Jr.
’70 and Webb trustee Roger Millar ’61, De Nault proposed to endow the directorship of the museum in Lofgren’s honor. Taylor Stockdale embraced the idea immediately, and a unanimous vote was passed by the Alf Museum board to accept De Nault’s leadership gift to start the fund. Ashton and Millar were the next two contributors. Sherwood Kingsley ’58, a life trustee of the Alf Museum, was quick to follow.
“This fund in Don’s honor is both a fitting tribute to a worldclass paleontologist and great friend as it is an important step in the evolution of the Alf Museum and its ability to be self-sustaining, ” Ashton said.
The Donald L. Lofgren Endowed Director’s Chair at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology is now accepting contributions from alumni, parents and friends who wish to honor Lofgren and his distinguished service over the last three decades. Your support will help secure the museum’s future and provide revenue in perpetuity. Funds received will be included and recognized in The Next 100: The Centennial Campaign. To make a gift, please contact Danielle Gordon, dgordon@webb.org, (909) 482-5267.
Don Lofgren with alumni during Alumni Weekend 2018
WEBB ALUMNI, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS “BRING IT HOME” FOR GIVING DAY 2021
The entire Webb community – alumni, current and past families, faculty and staff and friends – rallied around Webb’s 2021 Giving Day theme, “Bring it Home!” During a year that presented so many challenges, Webb’s Advancement Office wanted to honor the entire Webb community and the idea that Webb is home to each of us.
This year, when we could not all be together physically, we realized just how important Webb is in our lives. Like a home, Webb is a physical space where we share so much. And, also like a home, it is where we have come to know each other and nurture and support each other. It should come as no surprise that these deeply held feelings translated into a Giving Day that exceeded all expectations. We set an ambitious goal of 408 donors (one for each student) during the 24-hour Giving Day program. At the end of the day, over 460 donors contributed more than $400,000. These funds will impact every aspect of the Webb community this year and will help match the $2.1 million challenge gift given by an alumnus from Webb’s Class of 1963 at the beginning of this school year. Thanks to the generosity of the entire Webb community on Giving Day, Webb emerged from this year with strength and vitality, ready to embrace our Centennial in 2022. Thank you to everyone who helped “Bring It Home!” on Giving Day.
WEBB AWARDED CASE EDUCATIONAL FUNDRAISING AWARD
Webb was recently awarded a 2020 Award for Excellence in Educational Fundraising by CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement.
This prestigious award recognizes patterns of total support, breadth of fundraising, patterns of fundraising growth amount raised per student and the impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support, among other factors over a three-year period. Webb was recognized with other leading secondary schools, including Tabor, Cate and Andover. Dutch Barhydt, Webb’s director of institutional advancement from 2016 to 2021, said that while this award recognizes the professional accomplishments of Webb’s Advancement Team, it also recognizes every member of that team, who each contribute to this success, and most especially recognizes Webb’s donors, who have made Webb a philanthropic priority. This is Webb’s fourth CASE Award in four years, including a previous Award for Excellence in Fundraising, a Gold Circle of Excellence for Fundraising/Emerging Programs and a CASE District VII Silver Award for Advancement Services: Stewardship/Donor Relations. Chief Advancement Officer Bob Fass is now leading Webb’s Advancement Team into the community phase of The Next 100: The Centennial Campaign. Fass can be reached at bfass@webb.org.
