Westmont Magazine In Memory of Special Friends
Westmont is pleased to acknowledge legacy gifts from the estates of the following members of the Wallace Emerson Society:
Richard Reed and Teenie Armstrong spent their retirement years in Montecito and became good friends of the college and special supporters of the arts. One of the founders of Reynolds Gallery, Richard helped raise the initial funds to restore an original Deane School building and make it Westmont’s first Art Center. During his leadership on the Art Council, Reynolds Gallery became known as one of the significant galleries in Santa Barbara. In 1997 the Art Council honored him by creating the endowed Richard Reed Armstrong Scholarship in Art, which provides scholarship aid to selective art students. In addition to their annual gifts to the college, the Armstrongs set up a Westmont gift annuity that provided tax benefits and paid them income during their lifetimes. The Westmont family misses them, but their planned gift is a legacy of their life and commitment to the college.
Clarence and Mabel Hinkle were longtime residents of Santa Barbara and became acquainted with Westmont in the 1970s. Clarence, who painted portraits and California landscapes, is well known as one of California’s outstanding artists. Because the Hinkles wished to help young art students attend Westmont, they set up a trust that would fund The Clarence Hinkle Art Scholarship upon the death of their nephew. Nearly 30 years after being created, this legacy now benefits talented and worthy art students.
Irene and Muriel Hunt were sisters who resided in Pasadena. They became acquainted with Westmont through friends and began supporting the college in the 1960s. They included the college as a beneficiary of the Hunt Irrevocable Trust, set up in 1968. Funds from their trust were recently distributed to the college.
Sam and Ethel Rankin were the parents of Claire, who graduated in 1956, Donald who graduated in 1958, and Nelda ’62 who attended Westmont for two years before transferring to Cal State Sacramento. They appreciated the education their son and daughters received at Westmont and included a bequest to Westmont. Sam died in 1990, and when Ethel died this past year, the college received this thoughtful bequest. It expresses how much they appreciated what the college gave to their children.