By Liz Gillespie
Toward the end of his life, Gordon Green wanted to give back to his community 鈥 the one place he always considered home, even when he didn鈥檛 live here. He wanted to give back to Bothell.
Gordon鈥檚 niece, Jan Hunter, felt the same way when she and her husband pledged a $1 million legacy gift to UW Bothell.
鈥淛an and Dick truly understand the importance of philanthropy and what it means for a university to be in a campaign,鈥 said UW Bothell Chancellor Wolf Yeigh. 鈥淛an announced their gift around the same time she agreed to become the UW Bothell Advisory Board chair.
鈥淗er timing and her leadership,鈥 he added, 鈥渋nspired many other campus and volunteer leaders to make their own campaign commitments, which helped propel us past our $35 million Campaign for UW Bothell goal.鈥
A look back 鈥 and forward
Jan and Dick Hunter have given the University full discretion on how to spend their gift 鈥 a rarity with bequests.
鈥淲e would really like it to go to the greatest need, and there鈥檚 no way for us to know at this point what that will be,鈥 said Hunter, who assumed her role as chair in July.
鈥淚 support UW Bothell because I believe in investing in the future. And I particularly believe in UW Bothell because I know there鈥檚 a good percentage of students here who are the first in their families to go to college, and that鈥檚 important to me,鈥 she said.
Hunter鈥檚 ties to UW Bothell date back more than a decade, when she and her brothers helped their Uncle Gordon Green map out his vision of leaving a legacy that honored his family鈥檚 deep Bothell roots.
The Sarah Simonds Green Conservatory is a testament to that vision. The greenhouse, classroom and gardens on the edge of campus wetlands memorializes Green鈥檚 mother (Jan Hunter鈥檚 grandmother) and her lifelong devotion to gardening.
Investing in her community
Every year since facilitating her uncle鈥檚 gift, Hunter has deepened her involvement with UW Bothell, both as a donor and a volunteer. A member of the Advisory Board since 2015, Hunter gives to the University in numerous ways.
She is also a passionate supporter of an endowed study-abroad scholarship fund named after Anna Bui, a UW Bothell student from Mukilteo who died by gun violence in 2016. As a resident of Mukilteo herself, she was moved by the community鈥檚 efforts to support Anna鈥檚 family and honor her memory.
Hunter hasn鈥檛 lived in Bothell since she left for college, attending Whitman College then graduating from the University of Maryland, yet still and always will consider Bothell home.
鈥淗aving such an excellent University right here in my hometown 鈥 it鈥檚 a gift,鈥 Hunter said.
