Helping Diversity at Macalester

"When people in your family have been in the ministry, they tell you that to whom much is given, much is required," says Martha Whiting-Goddard '71. "If you go someplace like Macalester and something good happens to you, it's not just for you. You share it."

In celebration of her 50th Reunion, Martha named Macalester as owner and beneficiary of two life insurance policies, becoming a new member of the James Wallace Society.

When Whiting-Goddard arrived at Macalester from Houston in 1967, she estimates there were "about 50" other students of color. The sociology major became involved in the Black Liberation Affairs Committee (BLAC) that helped establish the Expanding Educational Opportunities (EEO) program to diversify Macalester's student body.

She also quickly realized some of her dreams. She traveled to Kenya sophomore year to help build a library, and she was an exchange student in Ethiopia as a senior. After graduate school, she worked at CARE Kenya for five years. In 2009, she retired from her career as a child support administrator for the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

Whiting-Goddard is eager to support new efforts to diversify Macalester. "Macalester can use my gift to invest in other students of diverse backgrounds to come here and really benefit from the experience," she says. For more information on making a planned gift, contact Theresa Gienapp at 651-696-6087 or visit macalester.edu/plannedgiving.