A $500,000 donation was bestowed to Bucks recently by an anonymous donor, making it the largest private gift ever received by the school. Bucks’ Foundation and Alumni Association will be the beneficiary of the funds from a 1972 Bucks management and marketing graduate.
“As a college community we are grateful for the kind consideration of our alumni. Though such a large donation was made anonymously, the thoughtfulness will remain as a legacy of our donor,” foundation President Phil Wursta said. “We hope to make use of this donation to enhance the student experience at Bucks through programs, scholarships and facility improvements,” he said.
The donor specified the money be used as an unrestricted gift, which would allow the foundation to disperse funds to students as they best see fit, executive director of the foundation Tobias Bruhn said. The foundation is still in the process of determining how to distribute these funds, he said.
“The education he received here was what motivated him to offer this substantial financial endowment to Bucks because it was his wish for other students to be able to share the same positive learning experience he had benefitted from during his time studying at Bucks,” Bruhn said. “His only desire was to create more opportunities for other students to achieve their goals.”
A native of Doylestown, the alumnus attended Central Bucks West High School before enrolling at Bucks when it first opened in 1964. He became the first person in his family to attend college despite the fact he was told that he wasn’t college material by his high school guidance counselor.
Then after successfully completing two courses in his first semester the donor was drafted and spent three years in the Army. He would be awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service as a 2nd Lieutenant during a tour in Vietnam before being discharged and returning to Bucks County in 1969.
After earning his degree from Bucks the donor would go on to study at Rider University. Yet, it was his time spent at the Newtown campus that helped him develop a strong interest in mutual funds and stock investments.
“When he spoke about the college several months ago, he was very passionate about his years at Bucks, thanking the college several times during that conversation for giving him the opportunity to pursue his education,” Bruhn said. “This gentleman also described his experience studying at Bucks as a wonderful era in his life and expressed great gratitude to be able to pursue an education after high school which he was only able achieve because of Bucks,” he said.
Over the next 30 years he continued to reside in Bucks County living a modest life while continuing to invest his salary in the stock market. At the age of 55, he retired to Virginia where he lived until his sudden passing at the age of 70.
“He wanted to share this incredible gift of his life’s savings of his accumulated wealth with other students so that they can have the ability to enjoy the same experience he enjoyed while earning his degree at Bucks,” Bruhn said. “This gentleman gave this generous gift without asking for any acknowledgment or public recognition.”
Many baby boomers are doing transfers of wealth or designating Bucks in their wills, Bruhn said. These generous contributions show how much being an alumnus of Bucks means to them, he said.
“We hope to further reach out to our alumni to build on this donation and help the college make a greater impact on the entire Bucks County Community,” Wursta said.