Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Gifts that Keep on Giving

Bolstering the largest fundraising year in HWS history, recent support from alums and friends strengthens the endowment, underwrites faculty research and expands scholarship funding for students.

Dr. Richard L. “Doc” Heaton, Edward P. Franks, M.D. Professor of Human Rights, Genocide, and Social Justice

A gift from Dr. Edward Franks ’72 endows a permanent fund in memory of Professor of Religious Studies Richard “Doc” Heaton P’86, in recognition of the late professor’s contributions to awareness of human rights. In his retirement, Heaton guided Dr. Franks’ efforts to initiate the lecture series that became the Human Rights and Genocide Symposium, which Dr. Franks has underwritten since 1999. Established by Dr. Franks in honor of his mentor, the new endowed professorship cements the study of human rights, genocide and social justice as a permanent part of the Religious Studies curriculum. The fund also ensures that the Human Rights and Genocide Symposium remains a permanent component of campus life. As Dr. Franks explains: “This professorship is intended to formalize the Colleges’ commitment to social justice. It emphasizes the importance of these topics to students, graduates and future leaders from the Colleges as well as the wider community that the Colleges serve.”

THE JOHN H.M. HILL SCHOLARSHIP IN CHEMISTRY

Chemist and professor John Hill taught at HWS for more than 30 years, shaping the scientific education of hundreds of students from 1961 until his death in 1996. In honor of his life and career, his wife Diane Hill recently committed to a $1 million gift to fund the John H.M. Hill Scholarship in Chemistry, which will support !nancial aid for HWS chemistry students. The gift was made through the Wheeler Society, established in 1989 to encourage thoughtful planned giving at the Colleges. It is named for Schuyler Skaats Wheeler Sc.D. 1888 — inventor, intellectual and entrepreneur — and his wife Amy Sutton Wheeler, whose bequest was realized nearly 100 years later with the renovation of Gulick Hall. This gift and the people who made it possible serve as the inspiration for today’s planned giving society at the Colleges.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE ENDOWMENT

Austin Hassett ’69 transferred to HWS with an associate degree, eager to expand his education and perspective of the world. The experience exceeded his imagination, proving so consequential that he wanted to preserve the opportunity for future generations. The result is his planned gift of at least $2 million to the Colleges’ permanent endowment. Hassett—who graduated with a B.A. in economics, went on to earn an M.S. in accounting and !nance at Syracuse University, and enjoyed a long career as a financial analyst and programmer on Wall Street — explains that his HWS education “gave me personal and economic success. I credit [the Colleges] with the highest aspiration of education, which is to teach people how to think, not what to think. It was glorious and fulfilled me in a way I didn’t really think was possible.”

LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY

Throughout the Colleges’ history, alums and friends have made a lasting impact on campus through planned gifts. Since 1989, those dedicated donors have been recognized as members of the Wheeler Society. Honor your HWS experience by becoming a member today. Contact Angela Tallo ’05, Director of Planned Giving and the Wheeler Society, at tallo@ hws.edu or (315) 781–3545. P.S. For those classes celebrating their 50th Reunion this year, documenting your legacy will count toward your Class Gift!