Dear colleagues
During the coming months we’ll be celebrating the impact of philanthropy on the University with a series of communications and events. We’re beginning by honouring some of those who have chosen to leave a gift in their will to Aberdeen over the years and sharing their inspirational stories with you.
Legacy gifts have been a catalyst for change throughout the University’s history with the first known gift dating back over 400 years when Thomas Reid, Regent of Marischal College and Latin Secretary to King James VI, left a bequest of 1,350 books and manuscripts, including the now priceless Aberdeen Bestiary, which helped form the foundation of today’s University Collections.
Gifts in wills of any size can allow the University to enhance the student experience and advance its research across a range of priority areas. Our alumni have a lifelong connection to our institution, which our team is proud to nurture. Here are just a few stories about some of the incredible alumni and friends who have shown their affinity to the University and their wish to contribute to its continuing success through a gift in their will.
If you are interested in finding out more about our legacy giving programme you can contact Vanessa Holmes, Development Officer for legacies, in the Directorate of Development & Alumni Relations at vanessa.holmes@abdn.ac.uk.
Best wishes
Clare
Clare Livingston
Interim Director of Advancement & Campaign Director
When alumnus Bernard Smith passed away in 1985, he left his estate to his wife Ruth with the request that, on her death, the estate would be left to the University. Bernard graduated from the University of Aberdeen MBChB in 1940 and maintained a deep affection for his hometown and the University which had equipped him for a distinguished career in the United States. Ruth lived for another 37 years, passing away in 2022 at the age of 103 and leaving the University a truly transformational gift in her will towards neurology that will help build on existing expertise in neuroscience and medical imaging. Read more about the Smiths’ story.
The impact of two transformational gifts in wills is being recognised by named areas in the University’s Science Teaching Hub. The Robertson Room, which is used for school and community outreach activities, recognises the groundbreaking unrestricted gift given by Norman Robertson in 2018 which helped support the Hub’s build costs and many other areas of strategic activity. The Johnston Atrium recognises the exceptional support given by Anthony Johnston to establish the Anthony & Margaret Johnston Centre for Doctoral Training in Plant Sciences. Read
how one young researcher is benefitting from his studentship.
Generous gifts in wills have also recently helped establish the University’s Interdisciplinary Institute. Dr Jane Hellman, a medical graduate of the University, left a transformational unrestricted gift in her will in 2022, trusting the University to use it wisely and with the greatest impact. With the agreement of her family, her gift – along with further unrestricted legacies from generous donors - has supported the appointment of the first cohort of Interdisciplinary Research Fellows and PhD students to work in our five challenge areas of health, nutrition & wellbeing, data & AI, environment & biodiversity, social inclusion & cultural diversity, and the energy transition. Read more about Jane
Hellman and her gift.
Some donors choose to remain anonymous when leaving a gift in will, and in 2022 we received one such gift towards the University’s Medical Library. To date the gift has made a number of enhancements possible, creating a brand new flexible collaborative study space which includes new learning clusters, digitally enabled to support group work, and a bookable IT classroom. This gift will have a positive impact on the experience of generations of medical students by helping the University extend its world-class library facilities to continue to offer medical education that is ranked 1st in the UK.
Myrtle Farquharson graduated MBChB in 1954 and dedicated her life to others. She was passionate about medicine, medical education and helping people and her legacy gift in 2021 towards cancer research will continue to help countless people live healthier lives. The gift has recently supported the relocation of two highly experienced imaging staff, and their equipment, from Switzerland to Aberdeen along with the purchase of new imaging equipment. This is benefitting the entire imaging team, as well as their internal collaborators in other research groups, and is further reinforcing Aberdeen’s position as a world-leader in medical imaging as well as research into a range of cancers. Read more about Myrtle's life.
Sheila Ferres MBE, whose husband Dr Gordon Ferres was an Aberdeen graduate, made the first of her philanthropic gifts to the University in 2009 when she helped with the purchase of a brain scanner after her sister died of vascular dementia. Widowed in 1993, she passed away in 2017 and left a gift in her will which enabled the endowment of the Dr Gordon Ferres Medical Research Fund and the Sheila Ferres MBE Bone Research Fund. Her combined support is having a substantial impact on the University’s healthy aging research and will continue to do so for years to come.
Well-known and highly regarded friends of the University, Dr Maitland and Dr Halldis Mackie, were amongst the earliest champions of energy transition and renewable energy on their farm. As University Rector, Maitland passionately represented the student body, working tirelessly to enhance the student experience, and when both he and Halldis passed away in 2014, it was their wish to establish a scholarship for students studying an MSc degree in Renewable Energy Engineering with a gift in their will. This scholarship provides fantastic opportunities for students whilst helping drive forward the University’s energy transition goals.
Dr Alexander (Sandy) Stewart Mackenzie stayed connected with the University of Aberdeen from his graduation in 1959 right through until his death in Kirkcaldy in October 2022. He was one of many alumni who sent inspiring messages of hope and encouragement to students during the Covid 19 lockdown and gave regularly during his lifetime. His support continues now with an unrestricted gift in his will to the University. An unrestricted gift allows the University maximum flexibility when prioritising its use for the greatest benefit. Read more about Sandy.
The University has partnered with Bequeathed to offer an exclusive free will writing service in the UK for staff, alumni and supporters. Find out more about the Bequeathed free will writing service.