This past year, Dick ’83 and Karen Taggart ’83, P’15 celebrated with their tight circle of alumni friends at no less than six weddings. Since graduating, the couple has stayed close with what they regard as their “St. Lawrence extended family,” including each other’s children, while coming together regularly from various places across the country—and sometimes around the globe—for milestones large and small. As they look back over the past four decades, the Taggarts credit their alma mater for much of what makes them happiest.
“We’ve seen everybody be successful in their careers, and we’re all a testament to the education St. Lawrence gave us, and the way it taught us all how to learn and grow up,” says Dick, who went on to earn a master’s in industrial engineering from Columbia University in the 4:2 program, and is a recently “rewired” financial services executive. Adds Karen: “Yes, we got a solid education. But for us, it’s really our longstanding and treasured friendships that are the biggest gifts we received from St. Lawrence.”
Now that their own son and daughter are adults—son Charlie ’15 married Caroline Winslow Taggart ’15 in 2022—the couple realized it was time to update their wills. They had been meaning to include the University in their estate but “it was one of those things that we just had a lot of inertia around,” Dick says. “Setting up a planned gift turned out to be really easy to do.”
Rather than commit to a specific dollar amount—because who knows what the exact value of their estate will be—the Taggarts decided to bequeath a percentage of their estate, once they are both deceased, to St. Lawrence. In this way, the couple feels good knowing that they are passing down the greater portion to their family, while supporting the future of their alma mater with a meaningful gift.
They were also intentional about designating their planned gift as “unrestricted,” meaning that the funds can be used for the University’s greatest need.
“Look, we hope this won’t pay out for many, many years to come,” says Dick, who like Karen, is an avid outdoor sports enthusiast, and stays active serving on various boards. “And we trust the leadership at the University will know how best to put the dollars to work for the next generation of students.”
Both Dick and Karen are excited to celebrate with their classmates at Reunion Weekend May 30-June 2. Their St. Lawrence circle includes several of Dick’s SAE fraternity brothers and their alumnae wives, as well as a half dozen of Karen’s gal pals from freshmen year and their husbands (who after so many years together are alums by association).
Dick points out that his parents, Hugh and Monica, both 1960 alums, are also a St. Lawrence love story: “So that’s three generations of Taggarts, and counting.” Their nephew, Emmett Follett ’25, is a junior. The couple hopes to inspire their peers to “pay it forward” to their alma mater, as well.
Karen says she is pleased to do her part to make sure others have the opportunity to experience the “something special” that is St. Lawrence: “We know there are a lot of challenges for small liberal arts colleges like ours, and we want to make sure the University continues to thrive and be vibrant.”
In celebration of their Reunion, lifelong Laurentian friendships, and deep family ties, Dick ’83 and Karen Taggart ’83, P’15 decided to bequeath a percentage of their estate to St. Lawrence as an unrestricted gift that the University can use for its highest priorities. By doing so, the couple feels good knowing that their family is taken care of while supporting the future of their alma mater with a meaningful gift.