F. Curtis Johnston ’54 remembers clearly from his URI days knowing that he would always “have to do what I had to do” to accomplish his goals —in this case, paying for the college education he knew was necessary for a successful and fulfilling life. That meant working in his family’s orchards and meat market in North Smithfield; collecting and returning dry cleaning in dorms; and lifeguarding.
At URI, Curtis developed leadership and management skills through his academic and extracurricular activities and from living in the Greek system, skills that he credits with “furthering my military and business careers.”
Around the time of his 50th Reunion, Curtis began to think about how he might best give back to the institution that gave him so much, and in particular how he could make it easier for future generations of students to overcome ever more formidable financial hurdles.
Working with a development officer, he arranged for the establishment of an endowed scholarship in his name that would generate income to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students based on financial need. Curtis planned to fund the endowment by annual gifting over a period of 10 years.
What is unique about Curtis’s approach is that he incorporated a provision into his will ensuring that his estate would make up the difference if the endowment had not been fully funded at the time of his death.
For more information, please contact: Paul Witham, Associate Vice President for Development, Alumni Center, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 Phone: 401-874-5569 Fax: 401-874-2292 Email: pwitham@advance.uri.edu
Office of Planned Giving, Alumni Center, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, Ri 02881-2004
Phone: 401-874-2296 or 401-874-5569 •Paul Witham: pwitham@advance.uri.edu
