Mother knew best…after all

I was perplexed. I had just learned that my mother, Mary Collier Baker, had designated a million dollars for USF in her will. When I read that it was specifically designated for maintenance and campus upkeep, I knew the bequest was authentic, for I remembered how often I was reminded of the need to clean my own room. And I already knew that USF was something special, for I had observed my mother's enthusiasm when she spoke of her experience as a USF trustee in the late 1980's. But a million dollars is a lot of money. So after my mother's death in 1999, I decided to find out for myself what lay behind her generosity.

What I soon learned was that USF is truly an outstanding Christian institution. I was so impressed that I agreed to join its Board of Trustees in April, 2000. As a trustee I have come to understand why my mother spoke so glowingly about its faculty, students, and staff. Then in February, 2003, my wife and I were privileged to participate in a conference on estate planning in Phoenix, Arizona. Inspired again by the USF leadership at the conference and the expertise available on estate planning, we are now in the process of reformulating our own will to include USF as a beneficiary.

As we work out the details, I cannot help but think about the beauty in the symmetry of the lives that God has given to us all. From the childhood belief that our parents can do no wrong, we move to the inevitable conflicts of the teenage years, and then as we ourselves matured we begin to understand the fundamental humanity of our parents. So now, as I ponder my mother's legacy and attempt to shape my own, I can see that even in her final years, she really did know what she was doing, after all.

John Collier
Mukilteo, Washington