JOSEPH D. LAWRENCE, ’62, is a second-generation Michigan Law graduate. His father, J. Don Lawrence, ’27, was among the first class of residents to live in F Entry in the then brand-new Lawyers Club.
Thirty-two years later, Joe moved into M Entry—another wing of the residence hall—and his father occasionally stopped by to visit.
“Dad was a great lawyer and the best of fathers and mentors,” says Joe, who recently made a $1 million bequest to establish the J. Don and Joseph D. Lawrence Memorial Fund for the Lawyers Club to support the upkeep and maintenance of the building and its ancillary facilities that hold fond memories for his family.
“Dad was very proud of his Law School association, so I made this gift largely in his memory.”
With the documentation of his bequest, Joe preserves not only the beauty of the Lawyers Club but its legacy and that of his family for future generations.
“Michigan Law did a lot for Dad and me,” says Joe. “I think this gift speaks for itself.”
MARILYN GAAR describes her late husband, Norman Gaar, ’56, as “a military man who built his life around the law” and dedicated his life to serving his country and the citizens of Kansas.
Now, in his memory, she has documented a $1.6 million bequest to establish the Norman E. Gaar Fund for Veterans, which will support students who share Norman’s military background, particularly his experience in combat and aviation, as well as the Veterans Legal Clinic.
“We talked about it for years,” says Marilyn. “And after his passing, my heart and mind were not at peace until I did this.”
A child of the Great Depression, attending a university was only a dream for Norman until he was accepted into Admiral James Holloway’s Aviation Midshipmen Program with the U.S. Navy upon graduating from high school. After receiving his wings, Norman served on the aircraft carrier Valley Forge in the VF-111 Squadron and flew 88 missions over Korea in an F9F Panther.
“He was fearless,” says Marilyn. “And he became a master of public finance and parliamentary procedure, which would later make him an effective senate majority leader.”
His military training steeled Norman not only for the battlefield, but for nearly 60 years of negotiations as one of the nation’s leading state and municipal finance attorneys. He eventually founded his own firm and served as a Kansas state senator and mayor of Westwood, Kansas.
“He was able to achieve what he did and contribute what he has to society because of Michigan and the Navy,” says Marilyn. “This gift is our way of paying back a debt to society and providing the younger generation the opportunities we received from the support of others. I’m just so pleased that we can return the favor.”
For more information about any of these options, or if you already have included the Law School in your estate but haven’t yet informed us, contact Erica Munzel, ’83, director of leadership gifts and planned giving, at 734.763.0414 or [email protected]. We welcome the opportunity to thank you for your future gift and ensure that your gift is used for your intended purpose.
