Alice Joyner Irby ’54

“When I was a student, Warren Ashby became my friend, not just my professor. That’s what you want in a learning community. That’s what is lost at a lot of other universities. I support UNCG not just because I am an alumna, but also because I think it is a unique institution.”

I grew up in Weldon, a small town in northeastern North Carolina. It was a wonderful small town that had a small, public school which had great teachers. My mother, a graduate of Woman’s College, was a teacher in the schools, teaching French and history. I considered a number of options for college, including some in the Northeast, before narrowing my list to two: Duke and Woman’s College. Without pressure from my mother, I chose Woman’s College. I never regretted it. It provided a balanced liberal arts program with professors committed to good pedagogy. I received a B.A. in Economics.

I wanted to make contributions to projects and colleges I felt important. Yet, my small estate could not sustain substantial withdrawals with no income stream to support my retirement. The Gift Annuity is a good way of meeting both goals.

The main benefit is I can support multiple projects with multiple annuities which benefit the projects but, at the same time, provide partial support for my living expenses during retirement. I chose to support the Ashby Residential College. The endowment created for the College provides on-going support for the academic programs of that particular learning community, and students will benefit from my gift for years to come.