Page 27 - Priorities #63- Winter 2016

Phil Golden, class of 1976, is the newest member of the St. Benedict Society, having bequeathed a portion of his estate to Priory. In his own words, Phil shares his thoughts on the importance of giving back to Priory.
Interview by Emily (Kirkland) Mangini
Tell us about your personal history with Priory.
I started at Priory in 1972 as a freshman. It was natural for me to go to Priory since I grew up just down the road and my older brother, Richard (Class of 1966), had transferred there as a junior. Once he started, our home became a midnight haven for boarding students, and my mother, Emma, volunteered at the library.
To this day, when Father Pius sees me, he holds out his hand in front of him, about waist high, smiles and says, “I remember you riding your tricycle on the campus.”
How have you stayed connected to Priory since graduating?
I recently started the process to begin volunteering at the school. But when I was a sophomore in college, the Priory had an emergency need for a JV basketball coach. I knew very lit- tle about competitive basketball, but said yes. Every day I met with the varsity coach, John Miller, to ask him what we were going to do in practice that day and why. It was a good experi- ence. John was also young, and one day when we showed up at an opposing team’s gym, the medicine kit in one hand and the balls slung over the other shoulder, their coach said “Just put your stuff over there, boys. Where’s your coach?”
What are some of the lessons you learned at Priory?
I learned English grammar, big-time—thank you, Fr. John Coleman, OSB. I also learned the college prep fundamentals and how to study and prepare. The academic bar was set high at Priory—this was made very clear to me as a freshman. I had finished in the 50th percentile at the Santa Clara Univer- sity Math Test; I was a pathetic math student, but went so I could get out of going to Saturday class. The following week the Headmaster, Father Charles, laid into me for disgracing the school by finishing in the 50th percentile. The message was loud and clear: “average” is unacceptable, and it is not what the Priory is about.
But even more than learning grammar or the importance of not disgracing Priory at a math contest, I learned how to think critically.
Priory’s curriculum required us to think a lot about what it means to be human. We were forced to think about big ques-
tions: What is real? What is right? What is just? At the time, we considered these questions from an academic standpoint, but the seed was planted. I’m no saint by any stretch, but I do spend at least as much time thinking about the plight of other people just about as much as I think about myself, and that started at the Priory. I use all of these tools daily, and I am constantly aware of where they were acquired.
What motivated you to give back to Priory, partic- ularly in the form of planned giving?
In my current work in the Office of Development at Stan- ford, I have learned that more than just tuition dollars are needed for a school to thrive and accomplish its mission. It needs annual gifts. It needs the payout from endowed gifts. It also needs estate gifts. Estate gifts make up for the revenue streams that can fluctuate with annual donors. It also gives donors who did not or could not contribute during their life- times the chance to “catch up” on giving back.
My wish is that one day, socioeconomic status will not determine who does and who does not attend Priory. Soci- ety needs leaders who are both well-trained and understand the human condition. The Priory is a school that can, and does, prepare such leaders.
I want to see as many opportunities as possible creat- ed for eager and deserving students who have experienced headwinds and are not from the middle or upper classes. I want to make it possible for those students to avail them- selves to the immense advantages afforded by attending Priory, so that they can rise and become tomorrow’s com- passionate leaders.
My estate gift will be allocated to financial aid. By itself, my gift will hardly make a difference to anyone. But if every grateful alumnus or alumna were to make an estate gift equal to the one I plan to make—it isn’t much at all, and probably 95% of us can make such a gift without our kids ever feeling it—the Priory could have a stronger financial aid program. The power of collective giving can transform an educational institution, and that is a small part in transforming the world.
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ALUMNUS Q&A