Summer 2017
There is no greater compliment to a college or university than to receive a planned gift from an estate. It is the final acknowledgment to the institution for maintaining its reputable standing in the community and for providing the foundation for many successful careers.
It is an even greater compliment when the gift comes from someone other than an alumnus, a member of its faculty or staff, or part of its leadership team.
That was the case when Walsh College received a $500,000 gift from the estate of Lawrence Green. His attorney and friend, Jim Brenner, notified Walsh of the gift following Green's passing late in the summer of 2016.
Though Green had no familial or formal ties to Walsh, Brenner said that Green respected the College's reputation in the business community, saying that it "reflected his values." Brenner added that Green "believed in education" and its role in molding new leaders in business."He saw education as an independent institution for everyone," Brenner said of his friend and classmate.
Green grew up in Detroit and attended University of Detroit Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy). Green lived in Farmington Hills and spent the majority of his career in the mortgage banking industry. Brenner said he "had a passion for the stock market" and spent his final working years shoring up his investment portfolio.
Brenner called Green a "man of great courage" who led a solitary life but kept in close contact with his friends. Brenner said Green, who had no immediate family at the time of his passing, admired Walsh College greatly, and that's why it was one of the four educational institutions included in his estate planning. Also receiving gifts were Hillsdale College, Northwood University and Novi Detroit Catholic Central High School.
