A Christian Brother's Family Tradition of Giving Back
Giving to Saint Mary’s is a family legacy for Brother Martin Ash ’62 whose parents, Charles and Margaret Ash, made several gifts to Saint Mary’s College through their estate. The family has supported the College in a number of ways, including establishing the Brother James Ash United States History Professorship; funding educational travel for Brothers who are members of the Saint Mary’s faculty; investing in capital improvements; supporting student scholarships through the Brother T. Warren Scholarship Fund and creating the Brother Martin Ash Fund for the SMC California Rugby Team Easter Tour.
Their gifts honor another Ash family tradition: three of the Ash Brothers (James Ash, Warren Ash and Martin Ash) joined the order of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. All three Ash brothers also graduated from Saint Mary’s College.
By supporting the funds their parents’ estate created, each brother had the ability to designate his portion of the estate to a cause that was important to him. For Brother Martin, that was Gael Rugby, a highlight of his 30 years of service at Saint Mary’s.
“I was really involved with the rugby team during Pat Vincent’s tenure as coach,” Brother Martin says. “I traveled with the team to Ireland, New Zealand and Hawaii. These trips eventually became an Easter Rugby Tour, and I want to continue that opportunity for the team.”
Brother Martin will likely also support the family’s endowed history scholarship that honors his late father’s keen interest in U.S. history.
“My father was a state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and dedicated the VFW hall in Southern California, which he then managed for 12 years,” he says. “My father also kept a historical journal—history was a deep personal interest for him.”
Remembering Saint Mary’s College with a gift from your estate will help to sustain and strengthen the College, and also provides a wonderful opportunity to honor a family member or support a favorite cause.
"Many alumni and friends remember Saint Mary’s College in their wills, estates and other legacy gifts,” says Doug Hansen, Director of Planned Giving. “We will work with you to develop your gift. For example, we can help to define the parameters of an endowed scholarship, as well as manage the application process and investment of the endowment fund.”
Planned giving staff can also help you decide which option would work best for you to establish the endowment through your estate—such as a bequest, a trust, or a beneficiary statement. For more information about how to create a bequest that will endow a scholarship fund, contact Douglas D. Hansen at ddh3@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-4218.