Joseph Page, a life-long Winona resident, passed away in 1985, leaving an estate that included an $844,000 bequest to Saint Mary’s College. Mr. Page desired to provide funds for the construction of a new theatre on campus, to be named in his memory following his death.

When estate gifts are first made, the actual gift is often years away. Donors and beneficiaries alike often wonder what impact such a gift will make someday. This most recent gift from Mr. Page, received 25 years after his death, is an excellent example of the way a legacy gift makes a difference. In addition to his many philanthropic gifts at the time of his death, Mr. Page established a charitable remainder trust for the benefit of a friend. The trust paid all net income to her during her lifetime, and upon her death in late 2009, the remainder – slightly more than the original amount put into trust – was distributed to Saint Mary’s University.

Saint Mary’s University will be forever grateful to Mr. Page for his generosity.

The Advisory Board is pleased to announce that gifts received, including gifts from 80 new donors, have exceeded the challenge by $2,805! With additional gifts from advisory board members, nearly $23,000 of support was provided to STI, allowing undergraduate women enrolled in the program to participate in STI activities at no cost to them.

Eight of these students will be receiving full scholarships, and all will be part of the FGI support structure on campus. Four incoming freshmen are San Miguel Middle School graduates, one graduated from Cristo Rey High School in Chicago, and one comes from San Miguel High School in Tucson. Saint Mary’s is excited to welcome these students and is grateful to the benefactors who have made scholarships possible for so many of these young learners.

As part of the First-Generation Initiative, Saint Mary’s launches its first Countdown to College (C2C) academic camp on July 24! Twenty-five 9th grade students from Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin will attend this two-week college preparation camp on the Winona campus. The schedule includes a mix of academics, sports, recreation, field trips, and social events. Thanks to the support of generous benefactors, students who are nominated by their teachers will be able to attend without cost. One teacher from each partner school is asked to participate in the camp, and parents are invited to accompany their students for the first two days to learn about the program, participate in social activities, and to hear about college opportunities. "To our knowledge, this is the first program in the nation that offers four consecutive years of early immersion in the college experience," said Dr. Jane Anderson, dean of the School of Education for Saint Mary’s University, who helped develop the program.