A "Thank-You" 19 Years in the Making

For the University Advancement team at Oakland University, the impact of generous donors is never taken for granted. Each team member recognizes that acknowledging selfless acts of philanthropy is a privilege and a priority because the entire OU community benefits from those who support the university. That’s why Deborah Kiefer, development associate for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, made it her personal priority to follow up on a 19-year-old mystery, which culminated with the ultimate gesture of gratitude. In her own words, Deborah shares the incredible story of her journey to say, “Thank you.” 

Recently, I’ve been collecting thank-you letters written by scholarship winners for the upcoming academic year. These letters, written by the awarded students to their respective scholarship donors or representatives, are a touching stewardship moment. They personally connect donors to the individuals they’re supporting, vividly illustrate the impact of their giving, and help nurture the virtues of gratitude and philanthropy within our students.

But sometimes, for a host of reasons, there isn’t an obvious person to thank. One case, in particular, caught my attention.

Back in 2006, Oakland University unexpectedly received a generous bequest from the estate of Margaret L. Ashdown. Years prior, Ms. Ashdown and her husband, Grant, had created a trust and named OU as a beneficiary with one simple instruction: It was for “engineering scholarships.” When Grant passed, Margaret became the trust's survivor, and when she died, the trustee became a bank. Beyond that, details were scant. No relatives were identified, and information from the bank and estate attorneys revealed little. Someone from the university even tried a web search for Margaret’s name for clues, but to no avail.

Ultimately, university leaders decided to use the bequest to establish an endowment now known as the Margaret Ashdown School of Engineering and Computer Science Scholarship.

Yet, the identity of Margaret Ashdown remained a mystery.

Fast-forward to today. With a little curiosity and nearly 20 years of improved digital recordkeeping and search-engine tech on my side, I decided to give the web search another shot.

Bingo.

Margaret L. Ashdown was mentioned in a Rochester funeral home notification with a 2005 death date and no mention of relatives. I found her! The notification did share that Margarett was buried at the Van Hoosen Jones Stoney Creek Cemetery in Rochester. This piece of information particularly stirred my heart because those grounds are a familiar and special place to me. My parents are buried there too. An idea sparked. I resolved to find the location of Ms. Ashdown’s grave and place flowers by her marker the next time I paid a visit to the cemetery. It was the least I could do to say, “Thank you.”

After a phone call to the city records department, there I stood, clutching a small bouquet of perennial clippings from my garden. I stared down at the names of Grant L. and Margaret L. Ashdown etched in a granite slab and marveled at how people whom we never met — and never will — can still become part of our stories.

There have been 37 scholarships awarded through the endowment to date. And that number grows larger with every passing year. There is no doubt that countless lives will be directly or indirectly uplifted by a generous couple who seemed to care little about fanfare and recognition but instead chose to make a quiet gesture of kindness for the world. May we all strive to have such generous and humble hearts.

 
Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown, for setting an example and for continuing to make life better for so many students. I hope you like your flowers.

Were you a recipient of a Margaret Ashdown School of Engineering and Computer Science Scholarship?

Did you know the Ashdowns?

If so, we would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] to share your story.

Please let us know if you have included OU in your estate plan (248) 370-3698.