Wayne Hooper’s love for music was no secret. Best known as a gospel music composer and member of the King’s Heralds quartet, the 1949 Union College graduate authored nine books of hymn arrangements as well as the Adventist anthem “We Have This Hope” during his time at the Voice of Prophecy radio show.
Before he and his wife, Harriet Schwender ’48 Hooper, passed away, they thoughtfully created an estate plan to ensure they could perpetuate the values they cherished in life. Through a generous gift from the Hooper Trust, Union College established the Wayne and Harriet Hooper Music Fund to grant scholarships to students with a passion for music and support program initiatives that will attract students to Union College—a fitting legacy of two lives dedicated to family and music ministry in the Adventist church.
“My parents were quiet champions in helping students stay in Adventist schools when their parents suffered financial and family hardships,” explains their daughter, Jan Lind. Union College is honored to perpetuate the commitment of these two faithful stewards.
Befitting the Hooper’s’ humble nature, Union College was not aware of its inclusion in their estate plan and no one had the opportunity to say “thank you” while they were living.
“I thought people may feel we are pushy when we ask if they have left Union College in their estate plan,” says Ken Farrow, Union’s director of leadership giving. “What I’ve learned is our greatest concern is being the best steward of their gifts by learning what is important to them.”
Union College promotes the ForeSight program as a way to acknowledge those who include the college in their estate plans and to properly document the donor’s preferences for how their future gift should be used.
If you are one of Union’s quiet champions and remembered the college in your estate plan, you may notify us online at ucollege.edu/foresight or call 402.486.2503 and speak to Ken Farrow. Your name can be included among our current list of ForeSight patrons, or you may choose to remain anonymous. Most importantly, you can help ensure your gift will be used in a way that will be meaningful to your family and leave a lasting tribute appropriate to your life.
If you want more information on options for your estate plan, contact Ken Farrow at ken.farrow@ucollege.edu or call 402-486-2503.