School of Art Receives Creative Gift The Melvin gift will, in part, go toward the loan used to renovate the new Graduate Art Studios. Photo courtesy of R. Helzer A recent gift of $100,000 to the School of Art will benefit the Senska Wilber Graduate Art Studios in addition to other needs of the school. The uniquely designed gift from Paul, ’61 GS, and Terry Melvin, ’61 Art, of Helena, features an outright gift as well as a deferred gift in the form of a charitable gift annuity, each representing 50 percent of the total gift. The gift is significant both in its size as well as its designations. .. “The School of Art is extremely grateful for the recent gift from Terry and Paul Melvin,” says director of MSU’s School of Art, Rich Helzer. “It is the largest single gift given to the school in my memory. The Melvins are great friends of the Art School and Terry has served on the School of Art Advisory Council since its inception and is very aware of our needs. We will use one half of their gift to pay down the loan that was required to renovate the new Graduate Art Studios, with the remainder used for special projects and needs that arise each year.” Alberta Rivera, MSU Foundation director of Gift Planning, worked with the Melvins to structure the gift in a manner that is mutually beneficial for both the School of Art and the Melvins. “It was gratifying to help Dr. and Mrs. Melvin design a gift plan that resulted in an outright gift and a future gift to the School of Art,” says Rivera. “This benefits all parties concerned, now and in the future.” A Charitable Gift Annuity through the MSU Foundation is a way to make a gift to MSU that pays an annuity or payment for a period of time to the beneficiaries and affords federal and possibly state tax benefits to the donor(s). For more information about the Montana State University Foundation, please visit their website at www.montana.edu/foundation.