Sitting, L-R: Janet Warman, Prudence Layne, Martha Smith Trout, Mary Jo Festle, Kathy Lyday-Lee. Standing, L-R: Jean Schwind, Kirstin Ringelberg.
A champion for women and Elon martha smith trout has broken a barrier or two in her lifetime. Trout was one of a handful of female Elon faculty members when she joined the English department in the 1960s. A trailblazer for women on campus and in the community, she lobbied Elon administrators to establish a women’s studies program, the forerunner to the university’s current women’s/gender studies program. “I was convinced that women’s studies was an important part of the curriculum at Elon,” recalls Trout, who retired from Elon in 1995 following a 29-year career. “The faculty and curriculum were male-dominated, and we needed a suitable representation of the importance of women in life and literature.” Trout still champions women’s issues—and Elon. She has made a gift to endow the Martha S. Smith Fund for Faculty Development, which will support faculty in the English, literature and women’s/gender studies programs. Resources from the fund will enable faculty to attend professional conferences
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and workshops to remain current in their fields. Trout chose to endow the fund now so she can meet the faculty who will benefit from her generosity. She also has taken advantage of attractive annuity rates to make a planned gift to Elon, which will provide her with lifetime income and support her fund in perpetuity. “When I was a faculty member, I saw the difference it made in our department when professors interacted with their peers outside Elon and brought back exciting new ideas,” Trout says. “I want our English department to continue to have that kind of stimulation with fresh ideas coming in from other schools. That’s how we become stronger.” Trout encourages others to support Elon with a gift now and in the future through planned giving. She credits the university with making the process easy and satisfying. “I was excited to make this gift because I feel like I grew up with Elon,” she says.
To learn more about how you can support the Ever Elon Campaign and make a diff erence at Elon with a charitable gift annuity or other planned gift, contact: Jamie Killorin cpa/pfs, cfp®, Director of Gift Planning Toll free 877.784.3566 // jkillorin2@elon.edu // www.elon.edu/giftplanning