It’s Easy to Fund an Endowed Scholarship and Create a Legacy by Combining Lifetime and Estate-Plan Gifts

Dorothy Mae Vernon Lydecker Westdyke ’64 grew up in nearby Hawthorne and “just knew Paterson State Teachers College would be where I would go,” she says. “It was PSTC or no place, and I’ve been a WP donor since my graduation 60 years ago.”

In addition to her decades of loyal support and membership in WP’s Heritage Society, Dorothy is also a member of the Hobart Society in recognition of her estate-plan gift to WP. “I included William Paterson University in my will to supplement the endowed scholarship I established in 2021,” she says. “It was important to me to give back to the school that gave so much to me and to be able to give to those who deserve some help.”

Now retired after a 40-year career teaching in the Passaic, New Jersey, School District, Dorothy enjoys attending WP events—including her class’s 50th Reunion and, more recently, the annual Scholarship Dinner and the President’s holiday gatherings in Hobart Manor, her favorite.

“I hope to help someone else reach their dreams, aims, and goals,” says Dorothy, whose gift states that preference will be given to students who graduate from Passaic High School or Hawthorne High School. “It’s important to me that my scholarships impact the students from the communities where I live and taught.”

Dorothy encourages others to consider the legacy they could leave to support and inspire future generations. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to fund an endowed scholarship,” Dorothy concludes. “It was astonishing to me that a $1,000 scholarship gift makes such a big difference in the life of a student today. Every gift could and does make a difference.”