Giving for Art's Sake

Ask Bob Storey AB '58 to choose a favorite Harvard memory and he’ll tell you, hands-down, it was meeting his wife, Juanita ("Nita") AB '59, MAT '60. But ask him what stands out from his involvement with the arts at Harvard—and he can't be as decisive.

"When I was an undergraduate, there was an explosion in the arts, particularly theater. I was chairman of the Leverett House Committee, and we had a competition each year for the best one-act play written by an undergraduate. Then one year, a theater group at Lowell House got the American rights to Jean Genet's play Deathwatch. It was the American premiere and it was sensational! People came from all over to see it."

Bob remembers fondly that Nita was senior class president of Radcliffe '59 and a member of the Radcliffe Choral Society. He also recalls the popularity of the campus radio station and musical groups like the Krokodiloes, the Dunster Dunces, and the Harvard Glee Club. Years later, when the Storeys’ three children attended Harvard, they clearly inherited their parents' enthusiasm for the performing arts. Like her mother, Rebecca AB '91 sang in the Radcliffe Choral Society while Charles AB '83 cofounded the all-male a cappella group Din and Tonics, and Christopher AB '87 was a cellist in the Bach Society Orchestra.

Though the Storeys are now retired—Bob, a corporate attorney, was a partner at Thompson Hine LLP in Cleveland, while Nita taught in the public schools and served as the financial aid director for the Cleveland Scholarships Program—both have remained loyal Harvard supporters. A former Harvard Overseer, Bob served as class marshal at his 25th reunion.

The couple chose to commemorate their 50th reunion differently, with an extraordinary gift to the University. They bequeathed a life insurance policy (given to Bob for years of service on a corporate board) to the University's Office of the Arts. On Bob's death, the policy will fund an irrevocable trust as a planned gift, with a $1 million bequest paid out over five years.

For many Harvard alumni and friends, a bequest represents a great way to contribute to the University. Beyond life insurance, bequests can be made a number of ways, including through a will, a trust, or an IRA beneficiary designation, or via donor advised fund succession plans. The Storeys have earmarked their bequest to arts grants for undergraduate students and organizations engaged in all kinds of art: visual, theatrical, dance, or musical.

Bob and Nita were thrilled to learn of President Drew Faust's Task Force on the Arts and its recommendations toward rendering the arts "an integral part of the cognitive life of the University." Bob says he was inspired to give because "so many people who come to Harvard have this great creative energy, and it’s important that the University and the College, in particular, continue to offer outlets for it and to encourage it."

The Storey family's participation in the arts at Harvard enhanced their experiences immeasurably. Now their generosity will no doubt do the same for countless other students. Ask Bob Storey why he chose to make a bequest to Harvard—and his answer is matter-of-fact and modest. "We've supported other nonprofits and a wide array of activities. But Harvard is a special place and it seems to me a logical place to do something of this magnitude. I feel privileged to be able to make this kind of gift."