Peter '57 and Ruth '58 Nunn: Giving Back to Susquehanna

They met at Susquehanna, where Pete was a Phi Mu Delta brother and an accounting major and Ruth was an Alpha Delta Pi sister and a chemistry major. The Nunns have been happily married for 49 years, and throughout that time they have remained connected to SU-both as volunteers and as donors.

"We have received so much from Susquehanna," Pete says. "Not only did we get a good education, but we also enjoyed great times there, found good job opportunities, made lifelong friendships, and established a great association with an outstanding institution. That's why we want to give back."

Pete and Ruth have established The Peter M. and Ruth S. Nunn Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) which names SU as remainder beneficiary. As Pete explains, "We chose a CRUT because it offers several advantages that meet our needs: 1) we can contribute each year over a long period of time; 2) the CRUT allows us to convert assets into a lifelong income stream; 3) we get a current tax deduction when we transfer assets into the CRUT; and 4) placing assets in the CRUT removes them from our estate, and that will reduce our estate taxes."

According to Pete, the CRUT is a win-win solution because it suits their estate-planning needs and down the road will benefit SU as well. "When we established our CRUT, we specified that the remaining value of the trust is to become part of SU's permanent unrestricted endowment," Pete said. "We think this is the best way to ensure that SU will be able to provide a high-quality education for its students for generations to come."

Pete and Ruth have two sons: Steven '81, who holds a master's degree in business administration from Vanderbilt, and David, a 1984 Duke graduate with a doctorate in chemistry from Stanford. They also have two grandchildren, Brad and Tyler.