Donor Stories

March 2023



Eve Banasiak Tallon ’60 came to Rosary College by way of Morocco where her family had settled after WWII. The U.S. Cultural Attaché there was tasked with boosting the American brand by promoting colleges in the United States. Thus, Rosary came upon Eve’s radar and with a full scholarship in hand, took passage to River Forest in 1958 with $50 in her wallet.



Eve was warmly welcomed by  the Sisters and received “a great education.” Sisters Cyril, Jeremey, Paul, Gretchen and Sheila were just a few of the Dominicans she remembered with great fondness and respect. Eve says her only regret related to Rosary is that she attended for just two years. Thanks to her French elementary and high school education, and though she matriculated as a freshman, she was quickly promoted to second-semester sophomore. After two summers of study, she graduated in 1960.



Eve received her master’s degree in English at the University of Pittsburgh where she met her husband, James. After a brief stint in San Francisco, they settled in Denver, Colorado, where Eve lives in the Prairie-style home they purchased in 1968. James died in 2007.



When asked why she is leaving the bulk of her estate to Dominican University, she responds, “My time spent at Rosary was transformational. My family is well-situated and doesn’t need my help. I can think of no better institution to support. I am delighted that two scholarships will be established in my husband’s name and my own for students studying economics and English.”



Extend your love for Dominican University. Contact Janet B. Coffey or call (708) 524-6303 to share your goals for supporting future students.

October 2022



Mary Ducey ’74 and Joe Mulhern recently transferred ownership of a life insurance policy to Dominican University, becoming members of the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society. When realized, it will benefit the general scholarship fund and help students from all walks of life attend college.



Mary and Joe grew up in the Chicago-land area and attended local high schools. Joe headed to Notre Dame for college and Mary commuted to the “concrete” Circle Campus (now the University of Illinois at Chicago) for financial reasons, but after one year, she began looking for greener pastures—literally. It took just one visit to Rosary’s River Forest campus for Mary to apply and transfer.



Mary remembers the stunning contrast between UIC and Rosary: aesthetically, in class size and in the quality of education. She talks about Rosary and the Dominican Sisters instilling a love of learning and how their passion for teaching was palpable. Mary has a particular fondness for Sisters Clem Davlin, Mary Woods and Thomasine Cusack.



After college, Mary and Joe attended law school—DePaul and Northwestern, respectively. Mary pursued a career in civil law before her election to the Cook County Circuit Court where she served as a trial judge in the Daley Center. Joe’s career focused on real estate law.



They describe their decision to give the life insurance policy as an “. . .easy and low-cost entrance into deferred giving.” For a relatively low cost, the ultimate payout—and impact—is significant.

July 2022



Vicki Woodward ’71 and her husband John Glier know how important it is to give back. That is why they are members of the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society. Both Vicki and John are champions of philanthropy and have helped nonprofit organizations thrive throughout their professional careers. Understanding the importance of planning for the future, they have formalized their intention to support Dominican in their estate plans. In addition, they have established an endowed scholarship in honor of Vicki’s parents and funded a tax-advantaged charitable gift annuity. “I credit Rosary College for my professional success and many life’s blessings — including my husband of 47 years, John, whom I met in Fribourg, Switzerland during our junior year abroad,” Vicki shared. “Our philanthropy is intended to ‘pay it forward’ and help future generations of promising Dominican students.”



To learn more about joining the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society, please call (708) 524-6303 or email giftplanning@dom.edu.

April 2022



In exploring her college options when Carol Anderson was a high school senior, Rosary College came on her radar. After a campus visit, Carol, like so many before and after her, was hooked. Rosary's proximity to Chicago helped seal the deal. She began her studies in River Forest in 1964.



Carol graduated in 1968 with a degree in economics and has been deeply engaged with her alma mater in a variety of capacities. She served on the Board of Trustees, on multiple Reunion Planning Committees, and on the Trustee Benefit Planning Committee. Carol has been a caller for Dominican's Phonathon Program and has been a member of the Alumnae/i Leadership Council. For these, and for the numerous volunteer activities beyond Dominican, she has received not one but two Outstanding Volunteer Achievement Awards from Dominican University.



Carol's husband Jack has also been part of the Dominican community for decades and is Carol's partner in supporting the university. Carol and Jack have demonstrated remarkable leadership. They have contributed generously to an endowed scholarship established by her father and have been lead donors to two more endowed scholarship funds. Together, with a recently documented bequest, they are among the university's friends who are truly making a difference.



When asked what inspired the Kunzes' philanthropic generosity, their answer was simple. In Carol's words, "I made lifelong friends who have enriched my life enormously. I am also impressed by how Dominican has so beautifully adapted to changing demographics and continues to deliver an excellent education to its students. We are grateful that we are able to provide opportunities for generations to come."



Carol and Jack hope their philanthropy will inspire others to give—now and through their estate plans. "We've come to learn how important it is to the university's ability to plan for the future that we communicate our philanthropic intent. We encourage Dominican's alumnae/i to consider including Dominican in their estate plans—and then share your plan with the university."



If you have included Dominican in your estate plan, we encourage you to let us know so that we can thank and recognize you as a member of the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society. If you wish to speak with someone about making a future gift to Dominican, please contact the Office of Gift Planning at 708-524-6303 or giftplanning@dom.edu.

September 2021



Joe Zientara MBA ’95 was a non-traditional student at Rosary College in the early 1990s. A graduate of Roosevelt University, Joe attended Catholic schools leading up to college–so he was attracted to Rosary and began taking a few classes for personal enjoyment. Finding the college to be a welcoming community infused with the Dominican Caritas et Veritas ethos, he pursued his MBA while working full time in the food distribution industry. He received his degree in 1995.

Joe regularly supported the Dominican Fund and became a member of the President's Circle ($1,000+ gifts) in 2011 around the time he first spoke with a Dominican planned giving professional about a bequest. After visiting the planned giving website, he began to explore the benefits of establishing a charitable gift annuity (CGA) and found them to be compelling. With an investment of $10,000, Joe became an official member of the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society. He receives regular payments from the CGA that will continue for the rest of his life.

When asked why he decided to support Dominican, he said, "It is satisfying to be part of an enterprise that cherishes Catholic values. From an estate-planning perspective, I am delighted to receive quarterly payments for life through this giving vehicle." Since Joe used appreciated securities to fund the CGA, he avoided capital-gain taxes. He adds, "The university provided several illustrations to show me the tax implications of this type of gift."

Joe's philanthropic motivation is informed by his faith: "I hope that my gift will perpetuate the love, kindness, and compassion of Christ through Dominican University."



For more information on how to plan for your future with a charitable gift annuity, please visit plannedgiving.dom.edu or call (708) 524-6303.

March 2021



Dr. Mary Hayes ’70 received many academic credentials on her way to founding her own pediatric dental practice in Chicago, but she credits her first degree—from Rosary College/Dominican University—as the one that was instrumental in creating the person she is today. Deeply inspired by the Dominican Sisters, their commitment to educating their students to become citizens of the world, and their motto—Caritas et Veritas—Mary graduated with degrees in chemistry and French, received a library science degree from the University of Chicago, and then a DDS, followed by an MS in her pediatric dentistry specialty from the University of Illinois.



Hailing from Rochester, New York, Mary chose Rosary College because of its strong science programs, its liberal arts foundation, and its proximity to Chicago. Studying with Sister Mary Woods opened the door to a research internship at Argonne Laboratories, a rare opportunity for an undergraduate student.



The pandemic struck 50 years after she graduated from Rosary, so Mary’s class was unable to gather for its class reunion. Nonetheless, Mary joined the Reunion Planning Committee and volunteered to work on the class gift fundraising effort. With Dominican already named in her will, she decided to use a portion of her bequest to provide the lead gift in a $110,000 fundraising initiative.



“I realize my success in life was grounded by the experiences and education I received at Dominican as a young woman,” Mary said.



Recognizing the multiple benefits of giving appreciated stock, Mary avoided capital-gain taxes and reduced her taxable income.



“I am enjoying the pleasure of seeing the impact of my gift while I am alive. I hope that it will motivate my classmates to make a gift to our fundraising initiative. I am delighted to 'pay it forward' for future generations of Dominican students.”

September 2019



Gerald (Gary) and Janice (Jan) Mikol are lifelong residents of Chicago's northwest side. After more than three decades of philanthropic support to Dominican, the couple has made the university the beneficiary of their Fidelity charitable giving account. "Our giving experience has been uniformly positive," they say. "When it came time to determine a beneficiary to our account, Dominican was an obvious choice."



Now both retired, Jan enjoyed a 30-year career in banking while Gary spent most of his professional life at Dominican. "Upon receiving my PhD in chemistry, I taught at another local university for three years," he says. "When an opportunity to teach at the then Rosary College emerged, I jumped at it. I was drawn to the smaller, liberal arts environment and the sense of community that permeated the campus. Being lifelong Catholics, Rosary College's Dominican identity was also appealing."



Their first gifts included purchasing tickets for the Trustee Benefit Gala. "At the time, I was a heavy smoker and was annually spending on cigarettes what it costs for two tickets to the concert," Gary says. "I used this event as a motivation to give up smoking and became a regular supporter of the Benefit." Funding an endowed scholarship followed as well as consistent support of the Dominican Fund.



The couple regularly attends university events including President's Circle dinners, The Trustee Benefit, and the annual Scholarship Luncheon. "These events are our way of staying in close touch with the Dominican Sisters, many of whom remained friends long after I retired in 1999," Gary says.



"Gary was blessed to have had a long and happy career teaching here," Jan concludes. "We are delighted to pay it forward for future generations of students. We want to further the objectives of the university—one of which is to provide the opportunity of an excellent education to talented individuals."

April 2019



Linda Cowel McGuire and her husband of 44 years, Bill, both grew up in Chicago. She graduated from Rosary College (now Dominican) in 1969 with a BA in French and enjoyed a 12-year career in international business before retiring in 1981 to raise their two sons.



“I was one of five children from a family of modest means,” she says. “After attending Trinity High School (a Catholic, all-girls school)—against my wishes but at my mother’s insistence—Rosary became a viable option for me. When I learned about the study abroad program in Fribourg, (having long dreamt of spending time in France and speaking its native language) together with the scholarships and proximity to home, it made my decision easy.”



In gratitude for her transformational education, Linda and Bill made a legacy gift in 2009 to Dominican with a bequest in their will. More recently they added to their bequest. “There is a bittersweet element to our more recent bequest designation,” she says. “Bill attended St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana; and, sadly, it closed its doors in 2017. We had made a provision for St. Joe’s in our will; but when it closed, we decided to redirect that bequest to Dominican. It is a testament to Dominican and its leadership that Bill, who could have designated many other charities, chose Dominican. Of course, I am thrilled!”



Linda says she always felt close to the Sisters who were her professors and had a great deal of respect and admiration for them. “In addition to their academic expertise, they always made students feel like we were family,” Linda says. “There were three Sisters in particular who had an indelible impact on me: Sister George Lennon and Sister Jean Murray, both French professors, and theater professor Sister Gregory Duffy. They made their subject matter come alive. It was Sr. George who encouraged me to apply for the junior year abroad program in Fribourg, despite my own misgivings about being qualified. She said, ‘Linda, YOU can DO this.’ It was such a vote of confidence in my abilities. It was truly inspiring. And, of course, the international experience was transformational.



“After living in Boston, Massachusetts, and Fairfield, Connecticut, for six years, we moved back to Chicago in 1986. As we became more engaged and attended more events,” Linda says, “little by little, I began to feel that sense of closeness return.”



Linda shares one of her favorite memories of her continuing affiliation with Dominican: “While registering for the annual memorial mass on campus about eight years ago, I unexpectedly ran into a former classmate and dear friend, Ruth Kessler, whom I hadn’t seen since Rosary. Since then we’ve reconnected, and now we have shared so many awesome times and stories. In addition, in October 2017 Cami Jarasek McNamee was responsible for planning and organizing a Fribourg reunion in Alexandria, Virginia, of all the schools who were connected with Rosary’s program during our junior year of 1967-1968. What a wonderful turnout and time of reminiscing and remembering a life-changing year for all of us.”



As Linda and Bill continue to attend more events on campus, they have seen the remarkable work of President Donna Carroll—how she was expanding academic programs, renovating buildings on campus, and growing the enrollment. Ultimately, Linda says, it was an easy decision to give back to Dominican.



“We truly hope that our gift will help Dominican University remain strong and viable in an increasingly volatile higher-education environment,” Linda concludes. “Whether it will be used for general operating purposes or to establish a scholarship in our names (we are considering both), we hope it will provide a measure of financial security for the university.” The McGuire’s encourage others to consider leaving their own legacies at Dominican to support future Stars in their academic endeavors.

October 2018

Hello,

My mother Betty Gloudeman Scharfenberger ’46 passed away April 22, 2017.  She named your university in her will as a beneficiary.  The enclosed check is to fulfill her request.

I wanted to let you know how much your school and community meant to her over the years.  The education she received from your school became the foundation she needed to start in the business world.  Then after being sidetracked by a man and starting a family, she returned to school in Milwaukee for her teaching accreditation and then on to decades of teaching in the City of Milwaukee.

It is interesting how certain things can run consistent through our lives, and Dominican was one of those things for my Mom.  After retiring she was very active but always planned her life around her college reunions. She stayed in contact with numerous school friends and that always meant so much to her. Even as time marched on, Mom made it clear that my sister or I would have to make sure she would get to the reunions. 

I know Mom felt that her success in life was tied to the start she was given at Dominican.  So she wanted to be sure to give back one more time.  Please use the donation to help other students to get their start at your fine school.

Sincerely,

Dave Scharfenberger

Betty Gloudeman Scharfenberger’s ’46 bequest, like so many others, will help our students get their much-deserved start in life. If you have included Dominican in your estate plan, we encourage you to let us know so that we can thank and recognize you as a member of the Mazzuchelli Heritage Society. If you wish to speak with someone about making a future gift to Dominican, please contact the Office of Gift Planning at 708-524-6303 or giftplanning@dom.edu.

July 2018



Pier C. Borra & Renee A. Borra ’64 pursue their own special brand of caritas et veritas. They focus the philanthropy of the Borra Family Foundation on equipping students with new capacities for future success. Their generous gift to help fund the College of Health Sciences is doing the same for Dominican itself.



Where does your philanthropic motivation come from?

We grew up in families of modest means, but we saw our parents constantly volunteering and making a difference. We were both brought up to be generous when we saw an important cause.



What is that “important cause” for you?

We value self-reliance and striving to better one’s circumstances. That’s why education is important to us -– it helps people get jobs, be independent and contribute to society. Our reward is knowing that our efforts will make a positive difference in people’s lives.



Why Dominican?

We like to focus on education that brings people practical opportunities for persons to advance. We’ve provided support to help students at community colleges, for example, and found it very rewarding. Then we discovered the nursing program at Dominican and realized how powerful it could be in bringing jobs and a higher quality of life to so many people who hadn’t had such opportunities before.



So giving at Dominican represented an investment for you?

Some people look at philanthropy as giving to an organization to help it meet its needs. We take a different view. Donors like us have a goal in mind, then seek an organizational partner who can help them achieve it. We saw giving to Dominican as a way to achieve outcomes that were important to us.



Have you been pleased with the results?

Because the university has a small endowment, it relies on generous friends to innovate and grow. Philanthropy is highly valued at Dominican, so a contribution here has a bigger impact than it might somewhere else.



Would you recommend Dominican to others who invest philanthropically?

President Donna M. Carroll has a remarkable ability to implement a growth strategy. We’ve worked with lots of startups, and we were extremely impressed with the university’s ability to build an accredited nursing program in such a short period of time.



What device would you offer to those considering a gift to Dominican?

Look for giving opportunities that suit your interests but also enhance the long-term vitality of the university. Working with Dominican has been very satisfying for us. The College of Health Sciences will launch students into careers that many of them might only have dreamt of, and it feels good to know that the college provides more financial stability for the university and advance its mission. It’s a win for everyone.