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Tufts University - Beyond Boundaries Newsletter Spring 2008 - Index

BEYO ND BOUNDARIES
PROFILE IN GIVING
On November 22, 1963, Alan MacDougall, A65,
was one of three members of the Tufts community to
toll Goddard Chapel’s bell. The bell notified the campus
that President Kennedy had died. That memory remains
vivid and alive in MacDougall’s mind, as does the spirit
of public service that was the cornerstone of his Tufts
education.
“Tufts provides you with a sense that you should make
the world a better place. It was the university ethos then,
and it’s the university ethos now,” says MacDougall, who
spent more than 30 years as an intelligence officer with
the federal government. His wife, Jeanne, retired from
the Foreign Service.
News of the Campaign for Tufts Spring 2008
MacDougalls’ Legacy Is Commitment
to Public Service, Alma Mater
Charles Tufts Society Setting Records
The Charles Tufts Society is adding members
at a record pace, placing it well on its
way toward meeting the university’s goal of
adding 700 new commitments by the end
of the campaign. Last year alone, the society
grew by 16 percent—115 new members—and
this year will be no different.
This group of distinguished individuals
has included Tufts in their wills or
MacDougall’s public service extends to Tufts, where he
has been an active alumnus, serving as the president
of the Alumni Association and as a mentor to students
and alumni. Recently, the MacDougalls made the decision
to join the Charles Tufts Society, bequeathing their
estates to the School of Arts and Sciences as part of
a $20 million pledge from the Tufts Alumni Council.
“Jeanne and I have no children. We both want our
estates to go to a good cause, and Tufts is the best
cause we know,” says MacDougall. “I came from a bluecollar
environment. My parents worked hard to make
Tufts possible for me. What I’ve earned all my life is the
result of the education I received at Tufts.”
“Tufts provides you with a sense that you should
make the world a better place. It was the university
ethos then, and it’s the university ethos now.”
—Alan MacDougall
MacDougall notes that Tufts has evolved from being a
very good college in his day into a world­class university
today, with many more opportunities for students.
“I would like to see to it that young people whose backgrounds
are not well­to­do have the chance to take
advantage of these opportunities,” he offers as one
reason for his family’s gift.
The MacDougalls also made the decision to bequeath
their estates unrestricted. “It’s difficult to predict what
Tufts will need down the road,” he says. “I think it’s very
important for university leaders to have the flexibility they
need to capitalize on new ideas as they develop.”
Today, Alan and Jeanne continue their public service as
members of charitable and municipal boards in their
small Vermont village.
They also hold leadership
positions in their
estate plans, mirroring Charles Tufts’ gift
of 20 acres of Medford land, which led to
the establishment of the university.
“When people put a gift in their will,
they’re saying Tufts is part of their family,
and we’re honored,” says Rebecca Scott,
director of Gift Planning. “Estate gifts are
the bedrock of the university’s financial
future.”
Episcopal Church. But
for Alan, who grew
up in Winchester,
Massachusetts, his
heart resides at Tufts.
“When I think of home,
that’s what I think of—
the Hill in Medford.”