Meet Our Donors
We thank all our planned-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.
Dr. James T. Jackson: “The arts saved my life”
When Dr. James T. Jackson first moved to Washington, DC, in 2001, he would walk from his new office at George Washington University to the Kennedy Center every day after work to clear his mind and renew his spirit. “DC is a hard place, especially if you don’t know a lot of people,” he says. “The Kennedy Center really saved me my first year.” Dr. Jackson firmly believes that more people, especially students and teachers, should take advantage of the many offerings at the Kennedy Center including participating in the educational programs. He knows first-hand how the arts can change a life.
Growing up in the small town of Hodges, South Carolina, Dr. Jackson was considered to be a troubled child. His mother worked as a sharecropper until he was twelve years old and then she became a domestic working long hours. “We were very poor. I wanted to do something with my life but I didn’t have any role models,” Dr. Jackson remembers. He reflects sadly that everyone he knew growing up is either an alcoholic or dead. “I didn’t have any direction until I started the sixth grade in Mrs. Taylor’s classroom.” Mrs. Taylor recognized his creative talents and cast him in a singing role in the class play. Dr. Jackson credits Mrs. Taylor with introducing him to a way of learning through music and drama that put him on a different path.
Not only was he the first person in his family to graduate from high school, he also went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree, an MFA in Acting and Directing and a doctorate in special education. “Teachers can mold children by exposing them to educational programs such as the great ones offered by the Kennedy Center. Parents might not be equipped to provide these types of opportunities.”
He praises the Kennedy Center’s programs for students and teachers, such as ArtsEdge, and plans to have his own student-teachers at Howard University, where he is now a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, incorporate the Kennedy Center’s programs into their lesson plans.
Dr. Jackson knows what it feels like to give back. “I feel that I owe a debt, which is why I wanted to give back to the Kennedy Center by making the Center the beneficiary of my life insurance policies. I want other people to have the opportunities that I had. What really matters is what you want for yourself in life and how you dedicate yourself to achieving it.”
Dr. Jackson’s generosity ensures that the Kennedy Center will be able to continue to provide arts-integrated educational programs to thousands of children every year, allowing them to explore their creative outlets and discover possibilities for growth and positive development through the arts.
The Center sincerely thanks Dr. Jackson for his admirable forethought in planning his legacy to include the Kennedy Center.
Marilyn Schoon and Bill Wortley – 66 years of volunteering!
Marilyn Schoon and Bill Wortley love the Kennedy Center so much that between them they have volunteered at the Center for total of 66 years! Marilyn started in 1972, only a year after the Kennedy Center opened. A few years later, she met Bill at the Alexandria roller rink! Marilyn introduced the Kennedy Center to Bill, who had recently moved from California. Bill has been volunteering ever since.
Marilyn is a retired English and drama teacher. She took advantage of the many teacher training sessions offered by the Kennedy Center. She particularly remembers one thrilling session with Carol Channing who said, “Every night is the first time… If I didn’t get butterflies in my stomach before each performance, I’d stop.” Marilyn enthuses “What better way to reassure the kids who suffer stage fright than to tell them Carol Channing gets it EVERY time!” Bill is a safety manager for the military. Given his expertise, the Kennedy Center has been very fortunate that he takes charge of all the many volunteers who work crowd control for the large events such as Open House which welcomes tens of thousands of visitors for a full day of free performances each year.
Marilyn and Bill travel all over the world to see performances, but they always come back to the Kennedy Center. Not only do they drive 90 miles each way from their new home in WV to volunteer but they have also included the Center in their will. “Both of us feel very strongly about arts and the Kennedy Center and that’s why we make the commitment we do.”
Francis H. Rasmus, Jr.
Frank Rasmus with NSO Summer Music Institute musicians. Photo by Carol Pratt
Having shared in the joys of the performing arts with his family throughout his life, Francis H. Rasmus, Jr. recently established an endowment at the Kennedy Center to celebrate the memory of his parents, Mary and Francis Rasmus, Sr. Not only has he set up more than one charitable gift annuity with the Center, he has also named the Kennedy Center partial beneficiary of several IRAs.
The most amazing thing about his extraordinary generosity is that Frank earned a middle income salary. He receives great joy from his philanthropy. Since his retirement, he spends most of his time helping the institutions he loves while building his own financial security. He currently has dozens of charitable gift annuities (“CGAs”) with many different organizations set up to provide income, not just for himself, but also for relatives.
Frank points out that while he has guaranteed tax-advantaged payments for life, after he dies, “the charities will benefit from the residuum instead of an insurance company”. One of his favorite sayings is “You can’t take it with you!”
Gerson Nordlinger
“When I set up the Charitable Remainder Trust, not only did I receive an immediate tax deduction, but I gained a sense of accomplishment and the personal satisfaction of knowing that I am taking care of something I love.” Mr. Nordlinger wants to ensure that future generations will enjoy the NSO as he does. His lifelong love of music has inspired him to give generously of both his time and money for many years. He established the Gerson Nordlinger Debut Artists Fund through an irrevocable bequest to the NSO via a Charitable Remainder Unitrust - a generous gift that is already being used each year to underwrite a debut performance with the NSO. Having met some of his closest friends while volunteering on boards or committees, he encourages everyone to become actively involved in causes that are meaningful to them. The longest serving member of the board of the NSO, he believes “you get back so much when you give.”
Grover Batts
Grover Batts, a North Carolina native who still speaks with a delightful hint of a Southern accent, moved to Washington DC after returning from serving in WWII and completing his degree at Wake Forest thanks to the GI bill. Immediately after arriving in Washington, DC, Grover bought a subscription to the National Symphony Orchestra. Building on his love of literature, art and collecting, Grover spent 25 years of his working life at the Library of Congress as a Manuscript Historian cataloging the papers of such luminaries as Henry Kissinger, Alexander Graham Bell and even Mae West. Grover Batts knows what it means to leave a legacy. Handling the works of great Americans makes you think about your values and what impact you’d like to make. He says “I get a thrill out of giving and I love to see my gifts appreciated.” He entered into a charitable gift annuity with the Kennedy Center because he loves the fact that he can help the Kennedy Center at the same time as increasing his current income which is difficult to do in this low interest rate environment.
Lillie Lou Rietzke – honoring the memory of her son
Longtime National Symphony Orchestra patron and supporter, Mrs. Lillie Lou Rietzke wanted to create a legacy in the name of her son, Renah Blair Rietzke. In her will, she left a bequest for the National Symphony Orchestra to support a series of annual NSO children’s concerts in his memory. During her lifetime, she used to personally bring 2 children from the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club to see the symphony perform each week. Longtime NSO tuba player, David Bragunier recalls “Introducing music to the kids meant so much to her. They not only sat in the box with her, but she would also bring them backstage to meet the artists.” Children are still benefiting from her generosity and dedication and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Bill Hopkins and Richard Anderson
We attend lots of theater in Washington, and the Kennedy Center is tops in providing the "big show" experience to complement the abundance of high quality performances at our smaller theaters. We wanted to support the Kennedy Center in a substantial way that would not detract from our continuing needs for income during our lifetimes. The two-life charitable gift annuity does just that. We receive income for the rest of both of our lives, and the Center gets a large contribution after we both are gone. Win-win for all concerned. The great staff knew just how to word the contract to avoid unwanted tax consequences, to give us a large immediate tax deduction, and to provide continuing income (half of which is tax free) for life. The benefits of membership in the Roger L. Stevens Society, which accompany the annuity, add greatly to our enjoyment of the Kennedy Center experience.
Dee and Skip Seward
Dee and Skip Seward arrived in Washington in 2001 when Skip started a new job in DC. She says the first thing they did was come to the Kennedy Center. Dee, a former school teacher, especially loves that the Kennedy Center provides free performances every day on the Millennium Stage as well as a great variety of education opportunities. She says “My heart soars each time I attend a performance.” Dee and Skip were reviewing their estate plans and realized that by leaving retirement assets to the Kennedy Center they could pay less in taxes and leave more to both their heirs and the Kennedy Center.
Jean Oliver and the late Vincent Oliver
Jean and Vincent’s love of the performing arts brought them to the Kennedy Center countless times during their 35 years of marriage. Vincent particularly loved the symphonic music, while Jean’s passion has always been theater and dance. They happily indulged each other by sharing artistic interests as much as possible. The Kennedy Center mourns Vincent Oliver’s passing in December of 1999.
Jean has been volunteering with the Friends of the Kennedy Center since 1997. You will find her every Friday giving tours and sharing her love for the Center and its mission. Jean believes “the Center has grown to embrace people from all walks of life. It is truly a place for all individuals to come together and experience the magic of the performing arts.” She is also a vital member of the Kennedy Center Circles Board and particularly enjoys the infectious enthusiasm her fellow members show for the Kennedy Center.
Knowing they wished to continue supporting the performing arts into the future, Jean and Vincent decided include the Kennedy Center in their estate plan with a bequest. Jean says she is pleased that “They will have a lasting legacy at the Center for many generations to come.”
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts