W hile most people believe in payback, Fern Ward believes in paying forward. And her recent generous charitable gift annuity to the College of Engineering's Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) is her way of doing that.
"Many of my friends are in education. I think it's a good idea for others my age to think of this sort of thing as [investing in] the future," she said. "We can help support some of these kids that are striving for an education. I really believe it's a wonderful thing to do.
"After high school, college was about the furthest thing from my mind because it was during the Depression," Fern continued. "I took a job with a CPA's office, and they paid $10 a week. I finally saved up $100 so that I could pay for the tuition and books. In my graduating class from college there were 28 of us, so it was kind of an unheard thing because no one went to college back then."
Immediately after graduation from Arizona State Teacher's College (Arizona University) in Flagstaff, Fern married Brewer Ward, whom she had met during the first week of college. Following his service in the Signal Corps during WWII and the completion of a master's degree in education from CSULB in 1953, Brewer worked as the director of personnel for the Compton School District until his retirement. He passed away in April 2004.
During the war, Fern taught business courses at the local high school in Superior, Ariz., and later, when she and Brewer moved to California, taught kindergarten at Los Cerritos Elementary School in Paramount. Their children, Connie and Brewer Jr. (Bob), also became educators. Bob is a full-time lecturer in the CECS department, and Connie teaches second grade at Pat Nixon Elementary School in Cerritos.
Fern and Brewer also shared a passion for education through travel, and in 1961 the couple and their two junior high-aged children spent six months touring through western Europe in a camper van. Following his retirement, Brewer led more than 70 "Traveling Tiger Tours" from the Galapagos Islands to Iceland and many points in between. Fern continues to travel with Bob and Connie, who have inherited this family trait.
While providing financial assistance to CSULB, a charitable gift annuity offers the donor fixed lifetime payments along with a tax benefit. Fern’s contribution to the CECS department will help support student organizations.
"There are benefits to both sides," said Michael Mahoney, dean of the College of Engineering, "and the number of lives it can affect is inspiring. By establishing the Ward Student Support Fund, Fern is helping to ensure that the entire Ward family's dedication to education is honored for years to come."
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