For Clay Cummins, Northwest College has always had an element of home.
It’s only fitting then that Clay and his wife, Lynne, have given their vacation home in Red Lodge, Montana to NWC Foundation as a retained life estate gift that will bring about sweet rewards for NWC’s students.
Clay has fond memories of college in Powell. At the time he attended, Northwest was essentially comprised of just two buildings. “It was wonderful. The small size afforded you the opportunity to know your professors and for them to know you,” he said. “They knew you, cared about you and accommodated you.” He found knowledge at NWC which shaped a successful military career. “We expanded upon classroom learning as members of student organizations. Early leadership lessons from NWC helped me progress to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.”
Clay attended Northwest College as a non-traditional student from 1959-61, earning a two-third tuition scholarship for his sophomore year and an associate’s degree in business management. With another scholarship offer in hand, he transferred to the University of Denver, completing his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1963. Ten days after graduating, he received a draft notice which set him on a 25-year career path that spanned the globe as he climbed the Army’s ranks.
A Minnesota native, Lynne DeBeck initiated her higher education at a small college in Wisconsin. Following graduation from Ripon College in 1976, she joined the Army to “see the world.” While serving at Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe in Heidelberg, Germany Lynne met a fellow officer named Clay who was assigned to a NATO Command Headquarters. Clay returned to duty at the Pentagon in 1983 and Lynne resigned her commission as a Captain two years later and moved to Washington, D.C. They were married in 1987 and Clay retired in 1988.
During his years on the east coast, Clay became an annual donor to the Northwest College Foundation, always stepping up to the plate when students called during NWC’s Alumni Scholarship Drive phonathon. He was known for quickly getting to the point with student callers. “Yes, yes, I’ll give,” he quickly told students. “Now, tell me about yourself and your experience at Northwest College.” Those conversations would last 20-30 minutes. Student callers lucky enough to draw Clay’s name in the calling, always ended the evening with lifted spirits.
Lynne pursued a second career as a management consultant with IBM. In 1998, Clay convinced her to move to his home state and base her global travels from Montana. This proximity allowed him to re-connect with Northwest and become an active volunteer with both the NWC Foundation and Alumni Association. After a long absence, reconnecting with NWC was like coming home again – except Northwest College had grown significantly. Clay reconnected with life-long friends and he and Lynne made many new ones among campus employees and supporters. “We feel extremely positive about the college organization,” he said. “All the people are so impressive there and we want to support the faculty and students any way that we can.”
Over the years, Clay and Lynne have done just that with generous gifts to NWC. When the Foundation launched its Toward New Vistas endowment campaign, the Cummins stepped up boldly with a $50,000 gift to the General Scholarship Endowment. They provided another $50,000 for NWC’s new student center and have also supported significant donations to athletics, residence hall renovations and other aspects of the college.
Clay and Lynne worked to model philanthropy to younger or less experienced givers with matching opportunities for alumni such a $25,000 challenge to raise funds for construction of the Yellowstone Building and many options to incentivize giving to Alumni Association Scholarships. Today, they are regular Challenge Donors as part of NWC Giving Day.
For Clay and Lynne, gifting their vacation property now was an easy decision. “We get continued enjoyment of our Red Lodge home and also feel good knowing it will create opportunities for future students,” said Lynne. Proceeds from the eventual sale of their house will endow student scholarships and provide support for the NWC Alumni Association.
The Cummins’ singular purpose has been to do ‘what is best for students.’ A retained life estate holds true to their commitment to educating NWC students but is also wise tax planning for them as well.
What is a retained life estate?
For many donors, their home is their most valuable asset. It might never occur to them that they could donate their home to make a charitable gift during their lifetime.
A retained life estate allows donors to irrevocably deed their home, vacation property or farm to NWC Foundation while retaining the right to use the property for the rest of their lives, a term of years, or a combination of the two.
While individuals retain the right to use their property, they continue to be responsible for all routine expenses - maintenance fees, insurance, property taxes, repairs, etc. When the retained life estate ends, NWC Foundation can then use the property or the proceeds from the sale of it for the purposes designated by the donors.
This gift option is ideal for people who are planning to leave property to charity in their wills because they can reap tax benefits while they are still alive. Donors qualify for a federal income tax deduction on a significant portion of the home value which can be spread over the next five years.
This feature originally appeared in the NWC Foundation & Alumni 2024-2025 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Giving. Click here to view the full report.