A Hole-in-One for U-M Golf

“I do not recall a time when I have not considered myself a Wolverine,” said alumnus Chuck Keeling (BBA ’66, TeachCert ’67).

Chuck found one of his many passions—golf—while earning his undergraduate degree at U-M. “I can talk for hours about golf,” he said. “My roommates and I found the university golf course and enjoyed many rounds on that Alister MacKenzie-designed masterpiece.”

When Chuck sold his winter home and moved back full time to his hometown of Jackson, Michigan, he established the Charles P. Keeling Scholarship Fund with a pledge and a series of annual gifts. He also created a bequest in his will to support the fund.

The Charles P. Keeling Scholarship Fund honors Chuck’s love of golf by providing support to future student-athletes who are members of the U-M men’s golf team. “I’ve always known that I would try to make a gift to the university,” Chuck says. “In a serendipitous moment, it occurred to me to fund a scholarship for the golf team.”

“My background is that of an educator, first as a teacher and then as an employee of the Michigan Education Association,” Chuck said. “But when it came time for me to go to college, Michigan seemed too large and intimidating, and I thought I might be better at a smaller liberal arts college. Fortunately, I had a favorite uncle who possessed multiple degrees from Michigan and was a positive role model for me.

Not only did he enable me to understand that I would obtain a wonderful education at Michigan but, with my parents’ blessing, he would pay for my education in Ann Arbor. I graduated from the business school in 1966 and received a teaching certificate in 1967. Originally, I was thinking of a gift to my school, but as time went on, I realized how much golf has enriched my life through the people I have met.”

Most recently, Chuck decided to make an additional gift through a charitable gift annuity at U-M following the sale of his vacation home in Northern Michigan. The annuity will provide him with attractive tax benefits and steady payments for life. The balance remaining after his lifetime will go to the scholarship fund.

“This raised the possibility that I could mitigate some of the capital gains taxes on that sale with a charitable gift annuity and, at the same time shift, some investment risks and enjoy a nice rate of return,” he said. “So, for me, it was a no brainer to add to my already established [scholarship] fund. My Michigan education gave me a good start on a successful and rewarding career, and I hope in some part to be able to assist future Wolverines to have the same opportunity.”

You can join Chuck in receiving steady payments for life while establishing your U-M legacy. Contact the Office of Planned Giving at (734) 615-2022 and giving2@umich.edu to learn more.