A Lasting Legacy

Jerry DeSobe, LA'70, grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago. As a first-generation college student, he had a limited understanding of higher education. However, his family was able to send him to college, and he made the decision to attend Drake University.

"Drake was the perfect setting for me," he says. "Through my experiences at Drake, I was exposed to a world of opportunities that changed the arc of my life."

DeSobe recently decided to pay forward his Drake experience by leaving a gift through his estate to create the Gerald and Sandra DeSobe Endowed Scholarship.

"My wife, Sandra, and I have put in our wills an endowed scholarship for students who come from the Chicago public schools, so they might also have the opportunity to receive an excellent education at a university that will be the perfect setting for them as well," he says.

Leaving a gift to Drake University through an estate creates a lasting and powerful legacy. An estate gift provides resources to the institution that will empower and uplift Drake students for generations to come.

Tracy Codel, LA'86, says when she and her husband, Franklin, planned their will, they discussed how their money could continue working for organizations they believed enhanced their lives and their community.

"We selected Drake University because as an undergraduate Bulldog, Drake provided the springboard to my adult life," says Codel. "Drake was where I created the platform to answer my calling of being a teacher, where I had the opportunity to nourish my athletic running talent, and where I transformed into an independent adult. We hope that by supporting an educational institution, our passion to support quality education continues."

The Codels' estate gift will fund the Tracy and Franklin Codel Excellence in Math Education Scholarship, which is awarded to students who are preparing to teach middle or high school mathematics.

Craig Claussen's estate will also provide additional resources for a scholarship he established. The Craig E. Claussen LGBTQ Endowed Law Scholarship supports Drake Law students who identify as LGBTQ. He says funding the scholarship now allows him to meet the recipients of his generosity and make an impact in his lifetime.

"It is my hope that by creating my scholarship for LGBTQ law students they will continue to gain confidence to know that others realize the trials of being in a minority class, which many people do not understand and accept," says Claussen, LW'73. "I believe that by being educated persons, we will help dispel misconceptions and prejudices. I want all LGBTQ persons to be able to continue their college educations, so that they can continue to prove to others and educate others that we are more than our sexual orientation—that we have integrity and are good, honest, caring, and nurturing individuals who can improve the world in which we all live."

We're grateful to the many alumni and friends, past and present, who have entrusted Drake to carry forward their memories and offered a valuable source of support through their estates. To learn more about leaving a planned gift to Drake University, please contact John Amato at john.amato@drake.edu or 515-271-2849.