Gallaudet receives $1 million

From: Gallaudet - Apr 29, 2004

For Immediate Release
April 29, 2004
Contact: Mike Kaika, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 202-651-5050
Email: mike.kaika@gallaudet.edu

Inveterate Traveler Bequests One Million Dollars to Gallaudet University

Washington, DC—Anne "Pixie" Chiquoine, a long time resident of California and a vibrant woman with a zest for traveling, passed away on December 16, 2002 and in her will, she bequeathed that her $1.1 million estate be given to Gallaudet University.

Chiquoine always knew about Gallaudet since several members of her family, including her late mother, Helen Chiquoine, had a hearing loss. Although none of them enrolled at Gallaudet she was always interested in learning about deafness and in the mid 1980s visited Gallaudet. It was in 1985 when Chiquoine decided to establish the Anne M. Chiquoine and Helen P. Chiquoine Memorial Scholarship Fund. The elder Chiquoine passes away in 1981.

Gallaudet Today magazine (Winter 1985, Vol. 15, No. 2) interviewed Anne Chiquoine about her relationship with Gallaudet and her mother. In that interview, she said, "My mother and I were so close and always had so much fun. I was devoted to her and wanted to make sure that she was never left out of anything. I wanted to shield her from the impatience of other people who didn't want to put forth a little bit of extra effort to look for communication. AS a result, I wanted to do something that would benefit deaf and hard of hearing people and honor my mother at the same time."

Money earned from scholarship fund will be awarded to students based on financial need and scholastic achievement. Catherine Sweet-Windham, executive director of Institutional Advancement, communicated with Anne Chiquoine often and said, "Pixie was like a family member. She would send post cards and call me on the phone. When the Deaf President Now movement was happening in 1988, she followed the week-long event with zeal. She was a very sincere person and we were so sad when she passed away. The University is deeply grateful for her bequeath and I know students will benefit from her generosity."

Dr. Robert (Skip) Williams, professor of psychology at Gallaudet had the honor of meeting with Chiquoine several years ago while vacationing in California. "I took her out to a nice restaurant in the wine country and we had a wonderful time. She was a delightful, spirited, intelligent woman with a great sense of humor. She told me that Gallaudet had a special place in her heart and now we have a special place in our hearts for Pixie."

Gifts to the University's endowment are important which provide financial assistance to students to help them meet the increasing cost of higher education. Gallaudet University is fortunate to have received significant bequeaths as well as donations from corporations and foundations. For more information about Gallaudet University, log onto www.gallaudet.edu.

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