A Linfield Foundation Lasts a Lifetime

Mary and Doug Brown have chosen to honor their life-changing Linfield experiences by including the college in their estate plans.

Doug ’63 and Mary (Bjornson) Brown ’63 recently revised their wills to include a gift to Linfield. Doug is professor emeritus of English (program in teaching English to speakers of other languages) at San Francisco State University. Mary’s career focused on counseling and support groups for the elderly, retiring from her position as director of resident and social services at Piedmont Gardens Retirement Community in Oakland. They offered these insights when asked about their motivations behind this gift:

Linfield College brought us together 50+ years ago. But Linfield did so much more!

It offered the inspiring support of teachers who became mentors and role models; a climate that fostered growth, development and intellectual risk-taking; an atmosphere of camaraderie that gave us bonds of interpersonal connections and lasting friendships; and courage to try new things, nurture new skills and become new persons. Linfield shaped our lives and helped us build foundations that have lasted a lifetime.

We are delighted to see how Linfield continues to foster an amazing spirit of inquisitiveness and collaboration among students and faculty. In gratitude and appreciation for all that Linfield was for us, and is for students today, we are pleased—and privileged—to be able to “give back” to Linfield!