We are thankful for those who have made an estate gift to Barnard College. Here are their stories.
Rumu Sarkar ’81
I was so pleased to join the Athena Society in recognition of my naming Barnard in my will. My time at Barnard was truly life-changing.
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Jane Weidlund ‘46
Jane Weidlund received a BA in international studies from Barnard College in 1946 and held offices in the international relations club, the political council, the student government, and the student newspaper.
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Jenny Stone ’78, M.D.
“I decided to include Barnard in my will out of a desire to leave a gift that would help other Barnard students. Making a long-term difference in someone else's life by giving her an opportunity at Barnard would be very fulfilling to me.”
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Cynthia Johnson Shilkret ’68 and Robert Shilkret
After graduating from Barnard in 1968, Cynthia Johnson Shilkret earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her professional career was devoted to individual depth psychotherapy with adults as a therapist, teacher, and supervisor.
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Jieh Greeney ’03
Including support for Barnard in my estate plan was a no-brainer: a scholarship, after all, made it possible for me to attend the College. I wanted to pay it forward.
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Naomi Fraenkel Altschul ’97 and James S. Altschul
“My time at Barnard was transformative. My favorite professors taught from the front lines of their fields, infusing their classes with gravitas and hope, and implicitly encouraging students to become active learners and thoughtful community members.”
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Frederic Cohen SP ’72
Linda loved Barnard. Her college years were transformative and liberating, and marked a turning point in her outlook and aspirations.
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Susan C. Scrimshaw ’67, PhD
At a time when women were discouraged from going beyond a college education, Barnard faculty gave me the tools and encouragement to succeed as a woman in a less than supportive health sciences world, and the confidence to stand up to bias against women and social scientists and to thrive professionally.
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Marjorie de Loynes Lange ’50
My life would have been very different without Barnard. I completed high school in three and a half years and still remember getting my acceptance to the College—I was thrilled
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Wanda Cole-Frieman ’94
“The appreciation I have for my Barnard experience inspired me to join the Athena Society by making Barnard a beneficiary in my will.
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Mary Ann Takemoto '80
As a first-generation college student from Southern California, my experience at Barnard was transformational and I am grateful for the impact it had on me.
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Helen Hershfield Avnet '35 and Jean Avnet Morse
Helen Hershfield Avnet '35 (1915-1974) was a pioneer in the field of medical economics who broke new ground with her research and helped launch community based non-profit health insurance to protect people from financial misfortune caused by accident or illness.
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Ruth Steinberg '72
Ruth Steinberg '72 chose Barnard because it taught her to question assumptions, to use research to find factual evidence, to strongly voice well-researched opinions, to engage in dialogue, and to listen to others.
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Randi Jaffe '74
Randi Jaffe '74 has a vivid and longstanding relationship with the Barnard College and Columbia University communities. She is a New York native who attended public high school in Queens and knew when she attended college she wanted to stay in New York City.
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Katherine Fleming '87
"Since first arriving at Barnard in 1983 at the age of 17, my appreciation for how exceptional it is to be part of the Barnard community has continued to grow."
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Carol Kaminsky '56
Carol Cary Cabe Kaminsky '56 came to Barnard from Baltimore and loved attending the theater in New York. Museums and galleries were at her fingertips. These were all an integral part of her and her college experience.
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Nancy Rieger '83
"I began volunteering at Barnard as a fundraiser and organizer of class Reunions. These experiences continuously remind me why I chose Barnard—I wanted to attend a world class women's college."
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Joyce '50 and Eileen '43 Alessandrini
Joyce and Eileen Alessandrini had plenty in common besides being sisters who went to Barnard College. They attended the same high school in Schenectady, New York, enjoyed 25 years of traveling together after retirement, and both wanted to leave a lasting legacy of support for Barnard.
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M.J. Hawes '92
"Barnard was such a pivotal and impactful experience in my life. I wanted to honor and recognize that by joining the Athena Society.
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Hilma Carter '45
Throughout her life, which has been rich with an abundance of wonderful experiences in education and the arts, Hilma Carter '45 made a genuine, profound impact on both of her alma maters—Barnard College and Columbia University.
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