Annual Giving
Rogers Society Luncheon Highlights Power of Planned Gifts
Nearly 100 members of the Henry and Emma Rogers Society gathered on the Evanston campus in May 2023 for the group’s 11th annual luncheon. The event celebrated the impact of planned giving at Northwestern and honored the alumni, faculty, and friends who have included the University in their estate plans. At the luncheon, guests heard from Toni-Marie Montgomery, fellow Rogers Society member and dean of the Bienen School of Music, before taking a tour of the Block Museum of Art.
In her keynote presentation, Montgomery—who stepped down as dean at the end of the 2022–23 academic year, reflected on her distinguished tenure at Northwestern. Montgomery has led the school since 2003, when she became its first woman dean and the University’s first African American dean. During the past two decades, Montgomery launched a host of initiatives aimed at increasing the school’s visibility and enhancing its status as one of the nation’s top music schools.
Montgomery emphasized the importance of generous alumni and friends in advancing the Bienen School’s ambitions and eminence. Donor support has made it possible for the school to recruit top faculty and students, increase financial aid and scholarships, deploy new technologies, and build community engagement. Montgomery also highlighted several recent and particularly impactful planned gifts, including one from luncheon guest Sally Dobroski and her late husband, Bernie Dobroski ’80 PhD, former dean of the Bienen School. The couple’s gift will enhance the Bernard and Sally Dobroski Dean’s Innovation Fund, which the couple established in 2021.
Additionally, Montgomery shared the inspiration behind her own gift to Northwestern—a bequest in her estate plan that will fund the Toni-Marie Montgomery/Mattie Drayton Undergraduate Piano Scholarship at the Bienen School. The scholarship honors Montgomery’s mother, Mattie Drayton, who dreamed of playing piano as a child but could not afford lessons. Drayton encouraged her daughter to pursue music, purchasing a Steinway grand piano for Montgomery when she was fifteen years old. “Through my scholarship, I want to provide for talented undergraduate students whose families may not have the resources to support them,” Montgomery says.
Bonnie Daniels ’69, a life trustee and Rogers Society member, served as emcee at the luncheon. In 2019, she and her husband, Michael Daniels ’68, ’69 MA, documented a generous bequest commitment to benefit Northwestern. Their decision was influenced by their gratitude for the University and how it has impacted their lives. The couple met on a blind date when Bonnie was an undergraduate student and Mike was a graduate student. In addition, Bonnie credited a Northwestern-sponsored event for planting the seed for her career in international development.
During the luncheon, Senior Executive Director of Gift Planning Camille Licklider shared an update on planned giving at Northwestern. Since last year’s luncheon, the University has received 256 planned gifts valued at more than $214 million. The Rogers Society welcomed 60 new members during this period, bringing the total current number to nearly 2,000. Members are representative of the overall alumni population, living in 49 states and seven countries. Licklider thanked the Rogers Society members who had traveled from other states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to join their fellow members at the luncheon.
Daniels concluded her remarks by addressing her fellow Rogers Society members. “You all have different stories and reasons for your giving,” she said. “Like me, you may feel gratitude for specific ways Northwestern impacted your life, or you may want to contribute to what has become a cutting-edge, excellent university. What is important is that you are giving in a way that is meaningful to you.”