Development News

Tribute: Mary Ainsworth
Attention Federal Employees
Jack Milton '68 Doubles Trust Fund to Benefit UMUC
Peck Family Funds High-Tech Project, Scholarships for Women

Mary Ainsworth has always loved good art. While she was attending a show at Johns Hopkins University in the 1950s, a painting of an Adirondack Mountains scene caught her eye.

Although she was taken by the painting, Ainsworth did not have enough money to buy it. Nonetheless, the artist, Herman Maril, suggested that she buy it "on time" and pay him for it however and whenever she could.

Ainsworth bought the painting and began a wonderful relationship with Herman Maril and his wife, Esta. Later, she began a special relationship with University of Maryland University College, and today UMUC gives her special thanks for her loan of eight Maril paintings, which are now hanging in the President's Room.

"These paintings have greatly enhanced our collection here at UMUC," says Dena Crosson, curator of UMUC's Arts Program. "Dr. Ainsworth's loan adds significant depth to UMUC's Maril retrospective." Most of the works on loan from Ainsworth are oils on canvas, and include Near the Ridge (1964), Vase and Lilies (1970), and Winter Thaw (1979). A few are in other media, like pen with an ink wash on paper, as in the case of Trees at Night (1974).

Herman Maril is one of Maryland's best-known artists. Born in 1908, he graduated from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. A few years after the war, in 1947, he began teaching part-time at the University of Maryland Art Department. He eventually became the department's first professor emeritus and remained with the school for nearly four decades, until his death in 1986.

"I am an enthusiastic collector of Herman Maril's works," says Ainsworth, adding that she first became interested in contemporary painting when, as a student at the University of Toronto, she encountered the works of Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven. "Thompson's works especially prepared me to be responsive to Herman Maril's paintings when I first saw them on the walls of friends' houses after moving to Baltimore in the late 1950s."

As a psychologist, Ainsworth's most important contributions have been to the world of science. While a professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University in the early 1970s, she completed a major study on the personality development of infants. She went on to become Commonwealth Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia from 1974 until she retired in 1984 as professor emeritus. Ainsworth is best known for her theoretical and empirical contributions to understanding and measuring early emotional relations. Her findings marked a critical shift in perceptions about infancy and child-rearing, especially in the 1980s, when more and more women began to enter the workforce and place infants in day care.

The Marils introduced Ainsworth to Cape Cod, a place where Herman Maril found inspiration for many of his paintings.

"Knowing Herman Maril as a person has enriched my appreciation of his work," Ainsworth says. "Exposure to Cape Cod helped me to realize how many natural variations there could be on the common theme of sky, water, and beach and to understand why he returned again and again to this theme."

Esta Maril speaks fondly of UMUC's efforts to showcase Maryland artists. "Nothing could be more wonderful than to have my husband's work shown, shared, and enjoyed at UMUC," she says. "The opportunity for people to 'live with the art' is truly wonderful."

For information about Herman Maril and his works, visit UMUC's Web site at http://www.umuc.edu/art/marilbio.html. For additional information about viewing the works of Maril or other Maryland artists displayed at UMUC, call 301-985-7822.

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Alumni and friends of UMUC who are employees of the federal government can now support the university through the Combined Federal Campaign. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the annual fund-raising drive conducted by federal employees in their workplaces each fall. By filling out the CFC form, employees designate a set amount to be given to their favorite charity via authorized payroll deductions.

To direct your gift to UMUC, just fill in 7096 as the designation code on the form. If you choose to give to UMUC this way, also be sure to check the name release authorization, releasing your name to the charitable organization. This will ensure that your donation goes to your alma mater. If you'd like to find out more about the CFC, visit their Web site at http://www.opm.gov/cfc.

Similarly, Maryland state employees can contribute via preauthorized payroll deductions through the Maryland Charity Campaign. To direct your gift to UMUC, the designation code is 5386.

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John Milton, known to friends as Jack, has been a leader in UMUC volunteer and fundraising efforts over the years.

Milton became a charter member of the University of Maryland Foundation in 1981 and has also served on the Chancellor's Advisory Council and the System of Maryland Planned Giving Council. In addition, he also served on the system-wide Board of Trustees during the presidency of John S. Toll and volunteered to join the President's Club, becoming one of its first members. Few others have shown such initiative. Today, he is a member of the UMUC President's Board of Visitors and was instrumental in the Northern Virginia celebration of UMUC's 50th anniversary.

In 1981, he and his wife, Symantha (Sammy), established a charitable remainder trust (CRT) and named UMUC as beneficiary. Together, they helped lead the way, along with a few others, in establishing the "Heritage Society," which recognizes the donors of deferred gifts.

When the Campaign for UMUC was officially announced at Homecoming in September 1997, the Miltons immediately considered how they wanted to support this major initiative. Both realized the importance of the campaign goals to expand UMUC's virtual university, to increase scholarships and financial aid for students, and to create a new career resource center for students and alumni.

As first vice president of Merrill Lynch, with 23 years of experience in the organization, Milton is perhaps more astute than most of us when it comes to knowing how to structure his gifts to maximize both the amount he can give and the available tax benefit. The Miltons chose a CRT as the vehicle for their contributions because it offers tax benefits and income to them as well as to the university.

The Miltons decided that they wanted to make yet another major leadership gift to help UMUC reach its $10.5 million Campaign for UMUC goal. Adding to the existing trust proved to be the best way.

Should you wish to receive information about life-income gifts and how they might benefit you and UMUC, call the Development Office at 301-985-7154.

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In support of UMUC's $10.5 million campaign, Charles E. "Ted" and Delphine Peck have made a commitment of about $90,000 for two exciting projects. The first project, the Peck Family "Virtual Library Classroom," will provide online tutorials, workshops, curricula offerings, and computer conferencing to help students and faculty learn to use electronic library resources.

The second emphasis of the gift is to provide augmented financial aid to women returning to school to complete their degrees. UMUC is already a leader in the distance education initiative for the University System of Maryland, and UMUC's virtual university currently provides online service through the World Wide Web. The Peck gift will significantly strengthen the library services UMUC can provide.

This Virtual Library classroom will be accessed through WebTycho, UMUC's unique client-server distance education software, and can be used for a variety of tasks. Students will be able to visit the library and receive instruction; librarians will be able to collaborate to develop and upload library instruction modules; and students will be able to learn techniques of carrying out research using electronic resources. The possibilities are almost limitless!

What the second portion of the Peck family gift addresses is especially important: the ever-increasing need for financial aid to students, a major thrust of the UMUC campaign. Many women are seeking to return to the workforce at the professional level, and it is key for them to complete their undergraduate degrees. Financial aid plays a critical role toward that end.

"We admire the achievements and future outlook for University of Maryland University College," Ted Peck said in explaining the motivation for the gift. Demonstrating their strong commitment to the campaign effort, the Pecks will serve on the UMUC Campaign Cabinet, which will organize campaign efforts locally and nationally.

Responding to the Pecks' generous commitment, former UMUC President T. Benjamin Massey said, "The Pecks' generous support, along with others' gifts to our virtual university initiative, will advance UMUC from among the best institutions to the nation's very best."

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