Dodie Younger ’50 M.Div. followed her calling into a life of ministry focused on ecumenism and justice work. George D. Younger ’50 M.Div., her husband who preceded her in death by 16 years, was a minister, theologian, and educator.
Not a couple in a position to make a big gift to their divinity alma mater, one would think.
Yet they did.
When Dodie Younger died on Christmas Day 2017 at the age of 93, her community and world lost an inspiring and effective leader. But thanks to a series of gift annuities purchased with her husband in the 1990s, the New Jersey resident left a gift of nearly $580,000 that will support divinity students, and the communities they go on to serve, in perpetuity.
“George and I saw our gift annuities as part of our overall financial planning,” Dorothy reflected in an interview before her death. “By making gifts that gave payment back to us, we are able to make much larger gifts than we ever thought possible.”
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Read Dodie Younger’s obituary / Read George Younger’s obituary
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After meeting and marrying at YDS, the Youngers spent their careers working across denominational boundaries to address such issues as poverty, racism, and discrimination against women.
From 1976 to 1983, Dodie Younger was executive director of American Baptist Women. She then became general director of Church Women United, a national ecumenical organization working to expand opportunities for women to lead in churches around the world. Her activism compelled her to take part in civil disobedience that led to her arrest in the late 1980s while praying at the U.S. Capitol rotunda for peace in Central America.
“Those of us who have been blessed with a Yale education,” she said, “have a responsibility to use it.”
She saw her responsibility extending beyond her own lifespan, once remarking, “I feel a responsibility for the future and to see that the organizations I value continue to grow and thrive.”
That responsibility is now amply fulfilled, accomplished through $50,000 worth of gift annuities she and her husband purchased. While paying out a 9.1 percent dividend to the couple and entitling them to tax deductions, the annuities grew in value to $578,000—all of which will support student scholarships at YDS.
If you would like a no-obligation consultation about making a planned gift while meeting your financial needs, contact Senior Development Director Jim Hackney ’79 M.A.R at james.hackney@yale.edu or Mary Beth Congdon in Yale’s Planned Giving office at marybeth.congdon@yale.edu.