Charitable Gift Annuities Help Create Future Funding for DA Day Students

Randy Suhl ’61 & Anne Kalemjian

To support day students from Franklin County and to give back to Deerfield, Randy Suhl ’61 and his wife Anne Kalemjian have established the Suhl/Kalemjian Scholarship Fund.

As a kid who wanted to stay close to his friends in nearby Turners Falls where he grew up, Randy was reluctant to attend Deerfield. His family encouraged him to give it a shot. He did. The decision changed everything. “It was eye opening,” Randy says. “Through Deerfield, I saw that there was a whole world out there, and I wanted to be a part of it.” He found that he could remain close to his Turners friends while making new connections.

Following Deerfield, Randy attended the University of Vermont, served as a U.S. Naval Officer, and had a career in international business. Much of what he experienced and enjoyed along the way had roots in his Deerfield days and in the quality of his teachers.

“I got a tremendous education for a few hundred dollars a year,” Randy says, “thanks to Mr. Boyden’s pay what you can philosophy.” Although Deerfield’s financial aid program is more complex now, the school remains committed to Mr. Boyden’s adage—opening its doors to bright students regardless of background or financial means. The Suhl/Kalemjian Scholarship Fund continues this core Deerfield tradition.

Anne, who retired from a career in information technology, shares Randy’s generous spirit. In addition to Deerfield the couple supports Anne’s family alma mater, Blair Academy in New Jersey, from which her grandfather, father, and brother graduated. “These schools take you out of the cocoon you grew up in—whether it’s family or community—and open your eyes to the wider world,” she says.

Anne recalls that her grandfather, an immigrant, had the opportunity to attend Blair on scholarships. “Where did the money come from?” Anne asks. “Someone stepped up to the plate for him,” she says. “We’re stepping up for someone else, at Blair and at Deerfield.”

Randy encourages former day students to contribute to his and Anne’s fund or to start their own. “We want to do as much as we can to help future day students experience Deerfield.”

Randy and Anne are accomplishing this through charitable gift annuities, which are “easy to set up, have great tax benefits, and provide us with retirement income,” Randy says with characteristic enthusiasm.

To learn more about charitable gift annuities, click here.