Ensuring BU Will Be There For Students

Sumner and Shirley Sachs are the kind of couple who complete each other's sentences, get each other's humor, and offer a rich glimpse into a creative and energetic life together that spans 57 years - and includes five daughters, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Sumner is a retired Air Force colonel and financial professional. Shirley is trying to retire from the medical transcription company she started 30 years ago, but isn't quite ready!

Both have ties to Boston University; Shirley through a medical technician's course long ago and Sumner through his memories as a boy who "grew up watching them finish building the BU campus along Commonwealth Avenue." He attended BU's College of General Studies (CGS), and completed his degree in geology in the College of Arts & Sciences.

"Attending BU was an enlightening experience," Sumner remembers. "It opened my eyes to the world." Upon completing an Air Force career, he worked for Wang Laboratories in corporate real estate. Shirley, meanwhile, began her medical transcription business, eventually employing a staff of 25.

The Sachses have been generous to Boston University over the years, most recently with Sumner establishing a charitable gift annuity. "There is an old adage," says Sumner. "Money is like fertilizer: it makes things grow. And now there's a great need for more accessible education - especially for young men and women who are being priced out of higher education, unfortunately."

Sumner anticipates that his gift will one day contribute to student support at BU. Today, it provides a fixed income stream for the Sachses during their lifetime, along with a charitable income tax deduction and favorable treatment of capital gains.

"I'm very proud of BU," says Sumner. "Proud of its evolution into a world class research university, proud of what it has accomplished, and proud to be a BU donor."