Donor Stories

Ed and Janet Watkins’ Estate-Plan Gift to Support Future Lindenwood Students

Ed Watkins has spent decades mentoring people, currently with MentorTown USA, but says “I’ve never worked a day in my life because I get to help people grow. I can’t think of a better investment than helping people grow.” In 1982 he and his wife Janet founded the company WENews to consult nonprofits and help individuals and communities grow.

First recruited to Lindenwood by then Chairman of the Board Robert Hyland, Ed has served the University by running admissions, development, and student programs. “I implemented our six-step career readiness system and also advised and helped raise money for things like Hyland Arena,” Ed says. “I played an important role in helping to grow Lindenwood from about 1,200 students in 1989 to 7,500 by 1997 and helped Lindenwood become debt-free.”

To ensure that his support of Lindenwood continues beyond his lifetime, Ed and Janet have included a bequest to the University of a percentage of their estate. Giving through your estate plan is one of the simplest ways to make charitable gifts to the causes you value most. Ed’s gift will help others follow his credo of “learning, earning, and serving.”

“For Janet and me, education is such an important part of our lives—and we worked hard all through school to earn our education,” Ed says. “Lindenwood is very important to us, and education is an important tool that helps people learn how to live and learn how to make a living. By including Lindenwood in our estate, we’re hoping to help future students in that endeavor.”

Ed hopes his gift will inspire generosity in others as they contemplate the legacies they could leave to support future Lions. “I would encourage everyone to consider it—particularly at a place like Lindenwood that has a long-term impact,” he concludes. “It’s a lifetime investment in people. What better investment can you make than investing in people’s futures?”