Estate Gift Culminates the Lifelong Connections to Alma
Her parents are both deceased now, but Barbara Day Galloway has vivid memories of their lifelong devotion to Alma College that resulted in the establishment of an endowed scholarship fund in their name during their lifetime and an estate gift to their alma mater following their passing.
The James '36 and Jane Allen '36 Day Endowed Scholarship assists students with their education at Alma.
“My parents used to get thank-you notes from students who received the scholarships, and most of the students went into detail about how they used their scholarship money,” says Barbara. “My parents greatly enjoyed those notes. My Dad kept a box of those letters.”
James majored in chemistry at Alma, while Jane studied library science. They were married in 1937 and then built a home in Midland. Jim worked for the Dow Chemical Company for 41 years. Jane started a career as a school librarian and teacher, but chose to devote herself to raising her children and supporting Jim in his career. They were parents to five children, grandparents to 10 grandchildren and great grandparents to 11 great grandchildren.
“We [the children] were all born in Michigan,” says Barbara. “We moved to Connecticut when we were quite young, but we still had grandparents and extended family in Michigan and went back every summer for many years.
“At least a couple of times during those trips we stopped at Alma. Mom and Dad showed us where their dorms had been and the classroom buildings. They were always impressed with and enjoyed seeing the growth of the campus. They also would attend class reunions and felt bad when they could not attend. They maintained friendships with people they knew from Alma, with most of the connections lasting their whole lifetimes. They were steadfast in their loyalties.
“My parents were highly dedicated to Alma College,” says Barbara. “It saddened them when physically they could no longer travel to Michigan for special events. Our family hopes that their legacy — through their endowed scholarship fund — will live on at Alma by helping students obtain a fine education there.”
When Jane passed away in January 2007, she provided a final gift to the College in her will.
“Bequests are the ultimate gifts, the lifeblood of the institution,” says Bob Murray, director of planned giving. “The College has benefited from wise estate planning since the inception of the institution in 1886. We are always extremely grateful for the estate gifts we receive.”
