HAPPY MEMORIES

Donor Profile: Barbara (Class of 1965) & Peter Hunsberger

Relationship to Millersville
Barbara is a retired University librarian and an alumna of the Class of 1965. She is also an eighth generation Biemesderfer whose grandfather, D. Luke Biemesderfer was president of Millersville from 1943-1965.

Types of Gifts
Life insurance policy, Outright gift

Please reflect on your experiences at Millersville.
As the acquisition librarian at Millersville from 1973-2001, I saw many changes in research and reference sources. From books, journals, and the Dewey Decimal System to computers, online research, and Google, the way students find information has changed drastically. It is much more automated, much faster, but there is still the challenge of discerning what information is accurate. Where does it come from - and, is it a valid source? You can't just Google it.

How did you decide a gift of life insurance was right for you?
Sometime in the 1980s, there was a news article in the local newspaper about an insurance gift to MU. I thought this looked like a way that Peter and I could make a gift to MU that was affordable and meaningful. We agreed that this is what we wanted to do and that we wanted to give the gift in honor of my grandparents, Dr. D. Luke and Elva Biemesderfer. Chip Kirchner helped us to set this up with the assistance of a financial planner.

What made you give to Millersville?
I am an alum of MU and my Grandfather Biemesderfer was president at MU for 22 years. He came to MU as president in 1943, the year I was born, and retired in 1965, the year I graduated. My maternal grandfather, Harold Brenner, was the postmaster and receiving clerk at MU for over 30 years. I have many happy memories of the campus from my childhood and I enjoyed attending MU as a student. As a faculty member I learned first-hand what a wonderful opportunity MU can be for most students. Many students have financial difficulties in getting through college and we wanted to help them if we could.

To learn more and to request a free Millersville University Estate Planning Guide, please visit millersville.giftlegacy.com or contact the Development Office at Giving@millersville.edu or at (717) 871-7520.

Donor Profile: Dr. Mary Elizabeth Dixon

Relationship to Millersville
Dr. Dixon was a retired Physical Education teacher, Coach of the women's field hockey and basketball programs, and founder and advisor to the Dolphin Club, synchronized swimming team.

Type of Gift
Life estate agreement

Dr. Dixon passed away in 2009 at the age of 93. This profile has been taken from an interview with her in 2007 for the Millersville University Alumni Review magazine.


Please reflect on your experiences at Millersville.
I knew I wanted to teach physical education at the post-secondary level. It was kind of a stroke of luck that I landed here at Millersville. When job hunting after World War II, four of Pennsylvania's state teachers colleges had openings. President Biemesderfer persuaded me to come to Millersville.

What motivates you to give?
I support organizations and causes which are of personal value to me including Wheatland, Rock Ford Plantation, the Farmland Preservation Trust, Fulton Opera House, Lancaster County Citizen Scholarship Foundation, and Millersville students. Each one suggests a value in history, in what should be preserved, in what is important for observing and learning.

How did you decide a life estate agreement was the type of gift you wanted to give?
In 1957, I built a home in Millersville. About a decade ago, I decided to contract with the University for a life-estate agreement, and I immediately realized a number of substantial deductions for my gift. My home is now the property of Millersville University. I still live there and will do so for the remainder of my life.

Why did you make this gift?
I enjoyed my career and Millersville and am grateful for the opportunity to have known faculty and staff personally. Perhaps most of all, Millersville has fulfilled the high commitment to education which my parents passed along.



To learn more and to request a free Millersville University Estate Planning Guide, please visit millersville.giftlegacy.com or contact the Development Office at Giving@millersville.edu or at (717) 871-7520.