Endowed Gifts
Your Gift Can Last Forever
An endowment gift to Central College today provides a brighter picture for our future. When you make a donation to our endowment, you give a gift with both immediate and long-term benefits.
Endowment donations are invested. A portion of the annual income from the investment is used to address immediate needs at Central. The remaining funds are reinvested to ensure indefinite support.
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View My GuideHistory of Family Ties to Central Inspires Bequest Gift
Dr. William L. (Bill) Rankin, Class of 1969, and his wife, Lori F. Nakahara, have recently named Central College as the main beneficiary in their will to establish the Rankin/Nakahara Scholarship. When funded, the endowed scholarship will be awarded to psychology and education majors at Central.
"Central College has always been part of my life. Since my grandfather, S. Bert Baron '09 was a Central professor when I was quite small, I would often go over to the college with him when we visited Pella. In fact, their home is now used by the college as faculty office space for the departments of sociology and anthropology. My grandparent's closest friends and neighbors were Central faculty. Also, my grandmother, Carolyn (Van Vleet) Baron '08, my Uncle Bob Baron '34 and my Aunt Marjorie Baron '32 were all Central graduates, as were my parents, Howard Rankin '42 and Mary Jane (Baron) Rankin '42 and my brother, Joe Rankin '73."
After graduating from Central College, Bill went on to receive a M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Lori has two engineering degrees—a Ceramics Engineering degree from the University of Washington and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Washington State University. Bill benefited from scholarships as a student and believes it is important to provide scholarship resources to others.
"Central College has had a profound impact on my life. I found that a kid from small-town Iowa could compete academically with students from far larger east coast schools. I also discovered my interest in experimental psychology when Central hired three new Psychology faculty members in my junior and senior years-Drs. Jim Schulze, Ed Willis and Dan Gilmore. Their passion for psychology was infectious and rubbed off on me. Suddenly I had an academic goal—a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology! My liberal arts education at Central served as solid basis for my continued graduate school education and also fostered my love for theater and orchestra."
"Lori and I have no children, and our family members are well taken care of financially, so we have been helping Central for decades now. I established the Baron Scholarship in honor of my grandparents in the 1970s and then more recently Lori and I donated to the new Education and Psychology Building. When Lori and I finally got around to making out a will a few years ago, it was only natural for us to make Central College our main benefactor. I have, however, warned Central development staff that my favorite bumper sticker is 'Being of sound mind, I spent it all.'"
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Your payments depend on your age at the time of the donation. If you are younger than 60, we recommend that you learn more about your options and download this FREE guide Plan for Retirement With a Deferred Gift Annuity.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.