Rich Sands Supports WRA’s Future with Legacy Gift Through His Trust

Rich Sands ’78 grew up in Akron where he was a self-proclaimed “nerd” in a large junior high school. “This was back before people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg made nerds cool,” he says. “My parents knew I wasn’t thriving and proposed a radical solution: what if I got a fresh start at a much smaller private school?” His family chose Western Reserve Academy so that Rich could be a boarding student while not being too far from home.

At WRA Rich became part of a close-knit class and made lifelong friends. He thrived under the guidance of faculty who encouraged learning through exploring and experimenting. “I credit Reserve for most of my academic and professional success,” he says. In gratitude for his excellent education and experience, Rich and his wife, Kate, have made a generous unrestricted endowment gift in their estate plan to support WRA.

“We look at our gift as an investment in future leaders,” Rich says. “We’d like to give the advantages that I got from Reserve to everyone: the close connection with faculty masters and the opportunity to learn not just facts but critical thinking, initiative, and leadership skills.”

Rich and Kate hope their gift encourages others to consider the legacies they could leave to support future Pioneers. “We’ve always valued our privacy and have never really wanted recognition for the gifts we make to charity,” says Rich, who reminds fellow alumni that there are many ways to make confidential planned gifts if they prefer.

“The world needs educated, intelligent, committed leaders with integrity to solve the most complex problems, make new scientific and medical discoveries, and to lead with good sense, compassion, and a commitment to their fellow human beings,” Rich concludes. “That is Reserve’s product, and we support that mission.”