The Trojan Family supports future students, faculty, and programs through estate gifts
Making a planned gift as part of your estate planning provides a lasting legacy that can express your appreciation for USC while meeting your own goals—whether personal, financial, or philanthropic.
Planned gifts help secure a stronger future for the university, enabling USC to invest in long-term projects and exciting ideas, from bold science to educational offerings and recruitment of talented faculty.
Beyond enabling you to support a meaningful cause, a planned gift may provide tax benefits. Giving vehicles include bequests, life insurance or real estate, retirement plan assets, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts.
Read on to see how supporters are making a difference through planned giving.
For more on how a planned gift can align with your priorities, please contact the USC Office of Gift Planning, 213-740-2682 or giftplanning@usc.edu.
Linnie and Daniel Haynesworth bolster diversity in tech
Linnie Rivers Haynesworth got her start in electrical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Nearly four decades later, this dedicated member of the USC Viterbi Board of Councilors has made a significant planned gift to her alma mater.
Haynesworth and her husband, Daniel Haynesworth, established the Linnie Rivers Haynesworth Engineering Diversity Fund to support USC Viterbi’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Linnie Haynesworth retired in 2019 from her position as vice president of the Cyber & Intelligence Mission Solutions Division at Northrop Grumman, where she worked for almost 40 years. She also was co-executive sponsor of the company’s Women in Leadership program.
Children are at the heart of the Lawrences’ giving
Michael (Mike) and Diana Lawrence care deeply about causes that support children. Inspired by their shared values, they made a $1.5 million planned gift to USC. They designated half of their gift for the Department of Pediatrics in the Keck School of Medicine of USC and half to the USC School for Early Childhood Education, USC’s Head Start and preschool programs.
Mike Lawrence graduated from the USC Marshall School of Business and is a longtime real estate investor. The Lawrences have a mutual passion for traveling. Last year, they logged more than 100 flights all over the world.
Nancy Lueck opens doors to student-athletes
Alumna Nancy Lueck developed a passion for Trojan football growing up in Sacramento, watching legendary USC football coach John McKay on TV. At 9 years old, she announced she planned on attending USC. When the time came, she was accepted.
Lueck arrived at USC during McKay’s final years as coach. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa, she initially worked as a statistician. She soon realized her career goals were in the fashion industry—where she worked for 40 years, including nearly 24 years in public relations for Bloomingdale’s.
Her lasting admiration for the famed coach spurred her to make a significant planned gift to the John McKay Football Endowed Scholarship Fund at USC, with the chance, she says, to help someone else “hopefully find their way in life.”
The Robinsons’ generosity provides scholarships
When Bill Robinson was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 53, he turned to Keck Medicine of USC for successful treatment. Later, his 97-year-old mother’s ovarian cancer brought the family back to what he calls “one of the foremost medical institutions in the country.”
The quality of care at Keck Medicine—combined with concerns for the student loan debt of today’s college graduates—inspired Bill and Gail Robinson to support USC. The Robinsons established a planned gift of $5 million at the Keck School of Medicine (and equal gifts at three other universities) to create scholarships for students from middle-class families, who often are unable to cover the full cost of tuition but typically receive minimal financial assistance. Part of their gift also supports students in intramural and club sports.
Bill Robinson merged his degrees in electrical engineering and law in a successful career as a technology trial lawyer. Gail Robinson used her MBA skills to oversee business operations for interplanetary flight projects at JPL and serve as chief of staff for its director.
Kathleen Larsen creates the perfect tribute
Kathleen Larsen, a tax consultant and widow of the revered USC professor Jack Larsen, has planned a $1 million gift to endow the Kathleen and Professor Jack Larsen Accounting Chair in Teaching Excellence.
After graduating from the USC Marshall School of Business, Jack Larsen initially worked as a CPA with the accounting firm Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) but found his true calling in when he started teaching at the USC Leventhal School of Accounting. His teaching style emphasized ethical values and communication.
Jack Larsen was awarded the Distinguished Professor Award from the California Society of CPAs in 1990. He retired from USC as professor emeritus in 2008. His classic textbook, Modern Advanced Accounting, is in its 10th printing.