Donor Spotlight: A Favor to a Friend Benefits Albright

Eleanor (far left) and Margaret (far right)
frequently traveled with their parents,
Ruth and George, who instilled a great
sense of community and philanthropy
in the sisters.

Margaret and Eleanor Schuhmann had no connection to Albright College. The sisters graduated from Reading High School in 1943 and 1945, respectively. Margaret attended Mount Holyoke College, while Eleanor attended Dickinson College. As siblings they often traveled together with their family for annual visits to Lake Placid and enjoyed the Metropolitan Opera and The Reading Symphony. Yet, upon both sisters’ passing, Albright College would be one of a number of beneficiaries of the sisters’ estate—whose combined philanthropy resulted in a little more than $550,000 that was recently donated to Albright.

“Essentially, Eleanor and Margaret did me a favor by including Albright in their estate plans,” said William G. Koch, Sr., CPA ’64, Emeritus Trustee. “As an alumnus and volunteer for Albright, it was natural for me to talk to Eleanor and Margaret, who were close associates of mine, about how my Albright education benefited me and why I felt it was important that they support a local institution like Albright that creates amazing opportunities for students.”

Bill has included Albright in his own estate plan, which makes for a solid case to support the College. In fact, Bill’s own planned gift to Albright will endow a scholarship with preference for a graduate of Wilson High School who comes to Albright as an accounting major.

Albright College is grateful to Margaret and Eleanor Schuhmann for their generosity, and we are indebted to Bill for his kindness and dedication to his alma mater.