Meet Our Donors

Following Robert Murray’s example, other generous donors have made planned gifts, thereby providing current and deferred contributions to the School and significant benefits to themselves. We thank all our planned-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.

Sylvia Colt de Almeida ’45 is very well-traveled. She has lived around the country and abroad—most recently in Portugal as the owner of a hotel business. But out of all the places she’s been, Sylvia has a special place in her heart for Friends Seminary.

“I had a wonderful time at Friends,” Sylvia said. “It was a terrific experience for me and it will be a terrific experience for a ton of future students.”

Sylvia’s strong sense of social responsibility prompted her to make a $500,000 bequest to the School’s Earle Hunter Scholarship Fund, which supports the Upper School and is named in honor of beloved teacher and administrator, Dr. Earle L. Hunter, whose influence spanned five decades. During her time at Friends, Sylvia was active in the Interracial Club under the direction of Dr. Hunter. She recalls visiting Harlem with the club to discuss and promote desegregation in the early 1940s.

“Friends gives you a great idea of what life is about,” Sylvia said. “It’s a very non-elitist place that takes such an active role in addressing social problems.”

Today, Sylvia tutors an eight-year-old girl, who suffers from a mental disability, through a child advocacy program in the town of Los Gatos, Calif. where she currently resides. Holding closely the values instilled in her at Friends, Sylvia said the program is another way to give back.

“Friends taught me lessons that have lasted me a lifetime,” Sylvia said, “and I am grateful for that.”

Rose K. Anderson, the mother of Kemmer Anderson '63 who attended Friends for only one year of elementary school before they moved to Tennessee, left a bequest to Friends because according to her son, she valued the community at Friends and the education he got. She asked that the Lower School teachers enjoy the opportunity to dream for the students at Friends.