A BU Love Story: Couple Gives Back Through Gift Annuities

Diana Geigis (CAS '56) recalled her "beanie days" at Boston University with enormous fondness. After all, those days were the beginning of two lifelong loves for Diana: her husband, Ernest (CAS '55), and BU.

The two Boston-area natives met at a mixer two weeks into Diana's freshman year and married a week after her graduation in Marsh Chapel. Six decades later, the retired first-grade teacher treasured her red-and-white freshman beanie and BU experience.

When their 50th reunions arrived, the Geigises decided to give something back to BU. In 2006 and 2011, they established $10,000 charitable gift annuities to benefit BU's Augustus Howe Buck Scholarship.

"You're grateful for the education you receive," explained Ernest, who never regretted picking BU over Harvard after winning the Buck Scholarship. "Sometimes I actually said to myself - listening to these very distinguished professors - 'Gee whiz, how could Harvard be any better than this?'"

And the charitable gift annuities have "turned out to be quite a good deal," said Ernest, a retired pastor. "In addition to getting an amazing interest rate, you get a tremendous tax benefit...plus, you get a significant allowance for a contribution the year in which you create a charitable gift annuity."

Of course, that's not the primary motivation for giving. "You want to contribute to a college that has meant a lot to you," he said. "But the benefits are significant."

And knowing that the principal will eventually go to the University they love "has a good feeling about it," said Diana.

"There are just such nice memories of our years together at BU," Ernest added. Diana agreed: "It certainly changed our lives."