Nancy and Dennis's Legacy

Nancy '72 and Dennis '70 Bohr

A week or so before Christmas, Nancy Bohr'72 went to Giant. "I had such a full cart, the cashier asked if I wanted help," says Nancy. "She sent an older woman who saw the BU logo on my clothes and said she was heading there after work to pick up her daughter, a BU student."

As she helped load groceries, the woman told Nancy that she was worried. Her ex-husband had just informed her that he was no longer going to contribute to their daughter's education. With the loss of his support and tuition going up, she would need a third job.

"She said her daughter is really smart and qualified for the presidential scholarship program, but they still struggle to pay her education costs," says Nancy. "I told her to call the BU financial aid office and ask specifically about the Henry Carver Fund. I said I donate to the fund, and I thought there might be some help available for her daughter."

Helping students in need - that's the type of impact Nancy and husband Dennis'70 want to have with their ongoing support of the Henry Carver Fund. Longtime loyal HCF donors, the couple increased their gift a few years ago and now give at the Carver Scholar level.

In 2017, Nancy and Dennis added to their legacy of supporting BU students in by making a gift through their will to endow a scholarship to be sure they can support the university's greatest need through an unrestricted gift which will be available for students in need in perpetuity.

"Neither one of us came from any kind of wealth. But back in our day, tuition, room, and board was under $1,000 for the year. In 1995, we paid $7,000 a year for our son Mark '99 to attend. Now tuition is up to $16,000. Today's students have a real need."

Nancy and Dennis met in 1969; Nancy was a secondary math education major and Dennis a secondary science education major. "We had a few science classes together and later we joked that we had great chemistry from the beginning. Then, I was invited to join the Geography Honor Fraternity and was assigned to Dennis as his pledge."

The couple spent their careers as teachers - Dennis taught in the Mechanicsburg school district for 35 years and Nancy in the Central Dauphin school district for 33 years.

"In the last couple of years, I realized I was giving lots of money to lots of different organizations. I thought I could still give away the same amount, only give to a fewer number of organizations and have a greater impact. When the Carver Scholar program came out, I ramped up my giving to meet that goal." In addition to support for HCF, Nancy and Dennis also support BU athletics.

Avid travelers, Nancy and Dennis always take their BU logo wear. "Worldwide, we have people stopping us," says Nancy. "On the Panama Canal, we met people who lived in Montoursville. In Iceland, one of the other tourists stopped us to say they know where BU is. It's amazing how many people are connected to BU."