University of Maryland Alumna Pays It Forward with $200,000 Endowed Gift
With the goal of teaching students to “pay it forward,” University of Maryland alumna Victoria Yorke ’82 has established a $200,000 endowment to fund scholarships for undergraduate students who plan to attend medical, dental or veterinary school, as well as administrative support for the newly-named Drs. John William Reed and Victoria L. Yorke Health Professions Advising Office. Most of the gift to the College of Chemical and Life Sciences will go to the need- and achievement-based John W. Reed Memorial Scholarship.
Yorke went on to medical school, and she and her husband established medical practices in Milwaukee. She focused on family medicine, while Reed was a practicing veterinarian. Following his untimely death in 2006, Yorke was faced with carrying out his wishes to commit a third of his assets to charitable or educational institutions with financial need. She immediately thought about the University of Maryland. The first six scholarship recipients were awarded this academic year.
At the naming reception, Yorke spoke about her husband’s intent to give back in significant ways and referenced the film, Pay It Forward. The idea is to do something to change the world, rather than repay the person who performed the favor or good deed. Yorke encouraged the first Reed scholarship recipients to remember the spirit with which this support was given and when it is their time, to pay it forward.
Tags: November December 2008
