On behalf of Gilman School, we would like to thank all of our current donors for their generosity and support. Here are some of their stories.
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 Edward Muhlenfeld ’61
“I almost think I could have skipped college and been as articulate and interested in the world and capable of pursuing a career just from there,” says Edward Muhlenfeld ’61. “Gilman taught me how to write, how to think logically, how to speak in public—things that you carry with you all your life.”
An active philanthropist, Muhlenfeld directs his charitable giving to Gilman and the Phoenix 100 Rotary Club, the two organizations that mean the most to him, as well as to national and local veterans’ groups. He and wife Linda recently put specific elements in their trust for several of these organizations, including Gilman.
Their planned gift will probably be their largest single gift to Gilman, and they know that it will be used to change lives in ways that show visible, direct and consistent results. “It’s a way for us to be able to help others after we’re gone,” he says. “We feel that the people on the ground there know how to best [spend the money], and needs change.
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 Robert McLean III ’46
As part of the Class of 1946 60th reunion celebration, Robert McLean III ’46 led a panel of classmates who discussed their life journeys over the past six decades and what they have learned along the way. Conversation flowed from one’s biggest “ah ha” moment since graduating to feared and favorite Gilman faculty to parallels between high school seniors in 1946 and 2006.
As these lifelong friends paused to reflect back, Bob also urged them to look forward, encouraging his classmates to join him in making deferred gift arrangements to benefit Gilman. He has arranged a bequest provision in his Will.
Bob’s gift carries the promise that his ultimate act of generosity will ensure that future generations of students will cherish their Gilman education, friends and memories as much as he and the Class of 1946 cherish theirs.
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Frances Pine (1916-2007) and Joseph B. Stevens, Jr.
 Theirs was a love that began with a blind date more than six decades ago. A meeting arranged by Joseph B. Stevens, Jr.’s Yale friends and Frances Pine’s friend Peggy Mahoney ultimately led to a union of two great families, one that shaped the American sports experience and one that shaped the history of Gilman School.
Joseph Stevens’ grandfather, Harry M. Stevens, is considered the “father of sports foodservice.” Those elements that modern baseball fans take for granted—scorecards, the sale of hot dogs and peanuts by roaming vendors—were all the inventions of Harry Stevens near the turn of the 20th century.
It was the family-owned company, Harry M. Stevens, Inc., that sent Joseph Stevens from New York to Baltimore in the fall of 1938. The company held the concession contracts at all of the Maryland racetracks-Timonium, Havre de Grace, Laurel, Bowie and Pimlico.
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 Arthur E. “Otts” Davis III ’61 (1943-2007)
People often asked Arthur E. “Otts” Davis III ’61 why he loved Gilman. He supported the School because of what it did for him and because he was genuinely committed to organizations that helped him personally or strengthened the greater community.
“Gilman gave me my foundation and ability to compete in the business world,” said Davis, who passed away in 2007. “It prepared me for life and my career.”
Davis entered Gilman from a small school in Annapolis, starting in the First Form (seventh grade), and remembered that academics were always a challenge for him. He needed to catch up on the basics while plowing through new material, a daunting task for a boy who was more mechanical than academic, who was happier tinkering under the hood of a car than applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
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 John H. Claster '63
By establishing two planned gifts to benefit Gilman School, John H. Claster ’63 achieved several philanthropic goals.
He created a charitable remainder unitrust-with John receiving an income for his lifetime and the principal designated to the School after the trust’s termination-which allowed him to make a larger gift with more impact than had he given an outright contribution.
A bequest provision in his will helps John ensure that Gilman will be able to continue its legacy and tradition of excellence in education for future generations. Most importantly to John, he is able to memorialize his parents through the fund that his gift will ultimately create, for without them, his own Gilman experience would not have been possible.
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 John W. Pierson, Jr. '41
John W. Pierson, Jr. values the education he received at Gilman School. He developed great friendships and created lasting memories that resonate loudly today. Often returning to campus to take in athletic events and other School activities, John remains an ardent supporter of his alma mater.
John's passion for Gilman motivated him to establish a charitable remainder unitrust, which benefits him during his life through monthly income payments. At its conclusion, the trust's remaining value will pass to Gilman School. His unitrust gift underscores John's deep commitment to Gilman, and is, in fact, the perfect means of expressing that commitment while also establishing a significant gift that returns benefits to John for his lifetime. More importantly, John's gift will continue Gilman's tradition of teaching and character development for generations to come.
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 Katharine Finney Baetjer
Gilman School has educated many generations of my family including my father, three brothers, sons, husband, and now my grandsons. I have seen the individual attention gifted teachers have given my grandsons at pivotal points in their development and their resulting achievement. Today, I enjoy the concerts, assemblies, art shows, and athletic events my grandsons take part in. I especially appreciate the Lower School’s Parent Picture Project because it gives me “a window into the classroom and a connection with my grandsons’ classmates.” The timing was right for me to create a gift plan that allows me to give appreciated, but low-yielding stock in exchange for a guaranteed and higher rate of fixed income. Establishing a charitable gift annuity to benefit Gilman School was an easy decision as it creates an income stream for my lifetime. I was also able to designate how the gift’s residuum will be utilized. The charitable gift annuity is a way for me to support the School while at the same time a benefit comes back to me.
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