Avila Heritage I
t seems that Mary Catherine (Immegart) Heimburger ’79 can’t help but get emotional when recalling her days as a student at Avila University. Especially when it comes to talking about the mission of Avila’s founding Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the specific Sisters which helped her earn a double major in elementary education and music education … well, her voice tends to crack and her eyes get moist pretty quickly. It’s obvious that what the Hannibal, Mo. native took away from Avila all those years ago had a profound effect and still does to this day. “The most poignant thing about my time at Avila was that, when I came here, I felt an environment where I had a purpose and knew I was going to be accountable for the rest of my life,” she said. “The Sisters were so educated and experienced, and inspiring and so positive. My life was impacted so deeply.”
Mary Catherine (Immegart) ‘79 and Dick Heimburger Securing Avila’s Heritage Making a bequest to Avila in your estate to benefit future Avila students is just one way you can join The Avila Heritage Society. The Heritage Society was established in 1988 to recognize the remarkable contributions of Avila alumni and friends who have made provisions in their estate plans or lifetime planned gifts to support the future needs of the University. Such provisions may include: • Bequests through Wills and Trusts
• Real Estate and Life Estates in Homes
• Charitable Remainder or Lead Trusts
• Gift Annuities
• Appreciated Securities
• Life Insurance Policies
To find out more about joining Avila’s Heritage Society or the gift vehicles above, please contact Keith Jaloma, director of major gifts, at 816.501.3696.
About 10 years ago, Heimburger began reaping the fruits of that impact, to seek out a greater purpose for her life. After more than two decades devoting herself to be a full-time administrator of her husband Dick’s medical practice, Heimburger enrolled in the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. She first earned a master’s in theology, but didn’t stop there, going on to receive a master’s in divinity. She serves as a spiritual director at several parishes in her hometown of Columbia, Mo. And, she’s giving back to her undergraduate alma mater. Heimburger said she remembers a kind gesture offered by an Avila financial aid officer to pay off the final $1,000 of her tuition balance, which meant the world to her. That officer’s name was David Kerr ‘76, who today serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. The Heimburgers joined Avila’s Heritage Society with an estate gift to Avila, to go to the University’s music program.