The Pentera Blog
Ron Brown's New Web Site Has Fascinating Stories on the History of Gift Planning
Did you know that the Smithsonian Institute exists because of a bequest from an Englishman who never set foot on U.S. soil? That is just one of the fascinating stories found on the Web site created and written by Ron Brown, historian and former director of planned giving at Princeton University.
"It is time for a new appreciation of charitable gift planning in America," says Brown, whose previous collection of stories on charitable gift annuities was turned into a 2017 book. "The heart of this Web site is the original articles, from Jamestown and the Mayflower Pilgrims in the 1600s to tomorrow's gifts."
Ron, a tireless researcher and adept storyteller, has to date penned more than 25 articles you won't want to miss, including the one about the Smithsonian:
"In 1829 James Smithson, an Englishman, died without visiting the U.S. Smithson wrote his own will, leaving his estate to his nephew. But if the nephew were to die without children, 'I bequeath the whole of my property ... to the United States of America ... under the name of the Smithsonian Institution ... for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men.' "
Sure enough, the nephew died in 1835 with no children - and three years later 105 sacks of gold sovereign coins from Smithson's estate were delivered to the States to create what Brown describes as "the world's largest and most popular museum and research complex."
Before retiring to life as a historian, Brown's long career included serving as director of gift planning at Fordham University, Pratt Institute, United Way of America, and the National Wildlife Federation in addition to Princeton. He also was a senior gift planner for Columbia University. He was a board member and chair of the research committee for the American Council on Gift Annuities, served on the board of what is now the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, and was president of the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey.
"The most important way for me to continue contributing to our profession is through my research into the history of charitable gift planning in America," Brown says. "New material will be added regularly, and people can sign up to be among the first to hear about additions."
The site can be reached at www.giftplanninghistory.org
