Eleise S. Cutler and the late Dr. John C. Cutler, Friends of Pitt

Eleise Cutler has always supported the advancement of education and the exploration of public health issues. Her husband, Dr. John C. Cutler spent much of his life as a physician largely in service to global public health. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health for his “second career”, he served as both assistant surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service and deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization. In 1995, Eleise and her husband began discussing the possibility of planned gifts to support some of their favorite causes. “Since we didn’t have any children and our home was our largest asset, we thought that donating that part of our estate would be a good way to give to organizations,” Eleise explains. The Cutlers chose to include the University of Pittsburgh as a beneficiary of their life estate. “I’m still living in my house,” she reveals, “and through this gift we were able to do something wonderful that we never anticipated.” The University’s portion of the estate will go into the John C. Cutler Memorial Global Health Fund that was established to honor Dr. Cutler’s legacy of global public health. 

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Dr. Monto and Mrs. Carol Ho (SIS ’68)

Dr. Monto Ho, professor emeritus and retired chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and his wife Carol (SIS ‘68 MLS) have been a part of the Pitt community for many years. Since serving others has always been an integral part of their lives, they recently chose to make a significant impact on the department that Dr. Ho created and led for twenty years by endowing a chair in the Graduate School of Public Health. The Hos chose to create the chair through a gift of a life insurance policy. “The cost to endow a chair is $2 million and my wife and I are not rich. In order to raise the money needed to endow the chair with the limited funds we had, we took the advice of a very good financial advisor,” Dr. Ho says of their planned giving decision. Dr. Ho and Carol, a retired medical librarian at St. Clair Hospital, are proud that their legacy will remain at the University of Pittsburgh. “Knowing that we have been able to make a difference in the future study of infectious diseases is such a rewarding feeling,” Dr. Ho says, “We are honored to play a role in its continued success.” 

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Mildred (Millie) Danch, Friend of Pitt

Mildred (Millie) Danch is many things: independent, caring, philanthropic, involved… She currently runs her own business, nurtures her large garden on the family farm in eastern Ohio, and enjoys her travels. Being Millie, she has also elected to make a generous gift to the University in a very special and meaningful way: Millie has made provisions in her will to gift her family’s farm (and the contents) to meet her philanthropic goals. As legacies go, Millie’s decision to use something so important to her past to make the future better for those who come after her is a standout.

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Harold W. (DEN ’44) and Ilse F. Posner

Like many men of his generation, military service was much on the mind of Harold Posner in the summer of 1941. The world was in the throes of war and Posner believed the best way he could serve his country was by pursuing his dream of becoming a dentist before joining the war effort. “When I first came to Pitt, Nazis were marching in New York and Chicago, and it was difficult for Jewish boys to get accepted to professional programs,” he recalls. But Posner thrived in the Pitt community. Many years later, Dr. Posner and his wife, Ilse F. Posner, made a generous donation to the University of Pittsburgh in the form of a charitable remainder trust. Their gift will be used to create an endowed assistant professorship in the School of Dental Medicine. The professorship will stand as a tribute to Franklin B. Jaffe, DDS, the man who raised Posner and inspired his passion for dentistry.

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Trudy (GLIS ’70) and Ronald Kosey

For Trudy (GLIS ’70) and Ronald Kosey, athletics is a way of life. These Washington, Pa. natives met at a Broncos League baseball game back in 1975, and they’ve continued their love for sports by becoming ardent supporters of Pitt athletics. “When I retired in 1996, I decided I wanted to give back to the University that gave me the opportunity to earn a college degree,” said Trudy. “We chose to make our planned gift through a life insurance policy because of its significant benefits.”

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Jim (ENGR ’59) and Peggy Degnan

Jim (ENGR ’59) and Peggy Degnan are enjoying their retirement. After 47 years of marriage and Jim’s many years as vice chair and CEO of the M.W. Kellogg Company, the couple is at a place in their lives where they want to give back. Jim and Peggy have established the James and Margaret Degnan Scholarship to support undergraduate and graduate Engineering students. But their generosity didn’t end there. After establishing the scholarship, Jim and Peggy started planning their legacy gift to the School. They learned about the charitable gift annuity option that provides an immediate quarterly annuity payment to them and will benefit their established scholarship later. The Degnans have since created two charitable gift annuities and are enjoying the benefits.

Read more about Jim and Peggy and their gift to Pitt