Donor Impact: A Gift of Gratitude

Fate and McDonogh School have a way of connecting people, and this is certainly the case for Libet and Marc Ottinger ’76. Their paths crossed multiple times before they officially met, beginning in middle school. Libet recalls walking to her neighborhood school with friends as the McDonogh bus rumbled past her house full of middle school boys who often taunted them. She didn’t like the bus, the boys, or anything to do with McDonogh.

Fast forward to 1986: Libet and Marc had been introduced, dated, and eventually became engaged. His love of the School and her own connection to McDonogh—as an Admissions Officer at her alma mater, Bucknell University—convinced her to accept a position as McDonogh’s Director of College Counseling.

They married, and six years later, twins Laura ’12 and Abbott ’12 were born. Before long, they were Eagles too. As a parent, Libet’s view of McDonogh evolved yet again. “Having your kids at McDonogh gives you a new perspective on this remarkable school, its incredible campus, and the people who work here,” she reflects. “I’d been pretty confined to the Upper School, so seeing what happens in the Lower School and the opportunities for all kids just reaffirmed the warm fuzzies I’d always had.”

Libet and Marc both appreciated how McDonogh allowed their children to be themselves. From the start, McDonogh was a perfect fit for Laura and Abbott. They were challenged in different ways, and the teachers knew just how to engage them. “I can think of so many instances when teachers would draw out something from Abbott or Laura that we, as parents, didn’t even see,” Libet recalls. Naming current and retired teachers who had a meaningful impact on their children’s lives, she adds, “They nurtured their potential—sometimes in ways we couldn’t have imagined—and isn’t that what education is all about?”

In 2021, motivated by deep gratitude for the School’s greatest resource—the dedicated faculty and staff— Libet and Marc decided to make McDonogh the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, directing the funds toward faculty tuition remission. The Ottinger Family Scholarship was announced at the close of the 20232024 school year, coinciding with Libet’s retirement.

But the story doesn’t end there. Moments after Head of School Dave Farace ’87 shared news of the Ottinger Family Scholarship, he surprised Libet and Marc with another announcement: a second tuition remission fund had been established in Libet’s name. The Libet Ottinger Fund for Tuition Remission was created by Trustee Liz Insley and her husband, Ned ’82—parents of three McDonogh alumni—and an anonymous donor in recognition of Libet’s 38 years of dedication to the School. “I was absolutely blown away by the gesture,” Libet says, her voice filled with gratitude. “To know that this fund will support faculty and staff in such a meaningful way is incredibly moving.”

While some may view the creation of these funds as “paying it forward,” Libet, an Eagle through and through, prefers to reference a line from “The McDonogh Uniform” poem: “We give something more than we take.” For Libet, that sentiment captures the essence of her and Marc’s commitment to McDonogh and its mission to foster the growth and potential of its students, faculty, and community.

—Meredith Bower