Donor Stories
Robert E. Aberlin ’66
Gifts to Colgate Can Benefit Retirement and Create a Philanthropic Legacy
As vice president for finance at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, Aberlin is “acutely aware of how you can change young people’s lives by giving them a great opportunity.”
The retired JPMorgan Chase banking executive has established a charitable gift annuity to benefit Colgate’s $40 million initiative to attract the best students, regardless of their family’s financial position, through increased financial aid.
“Increased financial aid at Colgate is critical to giving that great opportunity to a diverse body of students,” Aberlin said. “That’s the future of our country and the world.”
Aberlin receives payments from the gift annuity, established with proceeds from a large business transaction. “I get a better return than I would from bonds,” he said. “I’m also doing something for the university I love and this fund that is important to me.”
“This fund” is the Colgate Vietnam Memorial Scholarship, created to honor Colgate alumni who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. When Aberlin is gone, the remaining assets of the gift annuity will benefit the scholarship, an offshoot of his efforts to track down the names of the 20 Colgate alumni who died in the Vietnam War. A plaque recognizing them went up in Colgate’s Memorial Chapel in 1994. The experience inspired Broken Brotherhood: Vietnam and the Boys from Colgate, a documentary by Aberlin and Lou Buttino ’66.
By providing for these various needs, Aberlin’s charitable gift annuity is “an opportunity to invest in people and Colgate and give myself a return that is both monetary and good for the soul,” he said.
The discussion herein is general in nature and may not apply to all individuals. Prospective donors are urged to consult their personal tax and financial advisors concerning the specific consequences of making gifts to Colgate. We would be pleased to discuss, in confidence, ways in which you may support Colgate. These measures may also have an impact on your estate planning.
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