Love of teaching passed on through estate gift
Beulah Wilkinson Summers created a scholarship as a way to honor her daughter's memory and help more students pursue their dreams at Washburn.
A simple bequest in your estate plan can go a long way in making Washburn a better place. A transfer of assets from the trust of Beulah Wilkinson Summers will provide scholarships to students who have the same passion for teaching she had. Her legacy lives on by supporting something important to her.
"Mom strongly believed in the importance of education," her son, Steve Summers, ba '69, said. That importance was firmly rooted during Beulah's childhood and she went on to teach 35 years at Topeka High School.
Growing up on a farm in Allendale, Missouri, she graduated from Rural Worth County High School and went on to pursue both bachelor's and master's degrees and, later in life, a doctorate.
"When mom completed her doctorate from Kansas State in 1981 at the age of 60, she joked with me that I wasn't the only doctor in the family," Steve said. After leaving Washburn, he went on to complete his doctorate of dental surgery at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Despite not attending the school, Beulah's gift to Washburn is in honor of her daughter, Shirley Summers Chamberlain, who passed away in 2010. Shirley, b ed '67, m ed '74, had a long teaching career in Patchogue, New York.
"She and my dad didn't make a lot of money, but they were committed to my sister and me getting a college education," Steve said.
For generations to come, many students can pursue their dreams thanks to the Shirley Sue Summers Chamberlain Education Scholarship Fund just as Beulah did more than seven decades ago.
Make your impact at Washburn
Your support has an enormous impact on students, faculty and the future of Washburn. Contact Erin Aldridge at 785.670.4483 or PlannedGiving@wualumni.org to learn how you can plan a gift that will strengthen the Washburn experience for years to come.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.