"For our annual report, we wanted to feature the story of Don and Margaret Boyd, two faculty members who had secretly been major donors to the University of Wyoming (UW) throughout their lives. With Don’s recent passing, we wanted to share their love story, which encompassed the love they had for their students, their community, their university, and each other. Interviews with the Boyd’s close friends, family, and colleagues helped map Don and Margaret’s history with UW and the impact they had on campus.
The story has directly inspired additional efforts in faculty and staff giving and motivated donors to consider estate gifts. Most importantly, the story has connected the current UW community with these two very special faculty members who accomplished a tremendous amount of university advancement, but were never recognized for it during their lifetime."
From the Judges
The committee agreed that this read was as heartwarming and compelling a story about the couple as it was an excellent twin compendium of their contributions to the institution as faculty and the institution's subsequent growth in national prominence as a result of their efforts. It is gripping without mawkish sentimentality, and noteworthy that the central premise was the donor's holistic support of the institution, rather than the amount of the gift as a central focus.
