The Grace of Giving
“My dad taught me the power and grace of giving.”
Several factors influenced J. Ben Wauford’s decision to support the School of Architecture through an estate plan, but his father’s views of philanthropy had perhaps the greatest impact.
“During the last two years of his life, I talked to my dad about his intentions in his will — I was his executor — and his notions about giving really resonated with me,” Wauford explained. “My dad said, ‘I only give to things that are going to help people. I don’t give to things that create monuments to myself or to others.’”
After discussing it with his partner, Christopher W. Broderick, Wauford decided on a mid-seven-figure estate gift for unrestricted support for the School of Architecture in the College of Design, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Wauford opted for an unrestricted gift because “the future is anything but a straight line. While there are many things within the School I would love to support, it’s most effective for whoever is managing the show then to decide what is needed,” he said. “I trust Tech and its people.”
A retired partner with Cooper Carry, Wauford was the founding partner of the New York City office and served as principal in charge, racking up multiple design awards along the way. Broderick runs his own financial training group specializing in training bank employees.
Although “being a gay student and not out in 1975 at Georgia Tech wasn’t easy,” Wauford said the cohesion and collegiality within his cohort in the School of Architecture was priceless. “That was the overriding characteristic of my time at Tech. It helped create my future.”
Your gift will help students begin to create their own futures at Georgia Tech. To learn more, contact Gift Planning at 404.894.4678 or giftplanning@dev.gatech.edu today.