To Give is to Transform

COMMUNITY

By Julia Halprin Jackson

Barbara Bekins and Ann and Sheffield Clarke believe in supporting underrepresented students at San José State — and they’ve established legacies to support them for years to come.

Barbara Bekins, ’88 MS Math, a longtime supporter of STEM conferences for girls at SJSU, and Ann and Sheffield Clarke, philanthropists who raised three children across the street from the university, have witnessed how students can get derailed from their goals by unforeseen financial challenges — or, say, a global health pandemic. That’s a major reason why they established planned gifts with SJSU: to create legacies that offer educational opportunities to students in need. These types of gifts allow the university to invest in designated projects, programs or endowments that make a difference for years to come, and also positively impact donors themselves.

Barbara Bekins, ’88 MS Math. Photo: Robert C. Bain

“It’s nice to remember the professors who made a difference to you, particularly those who have already created funds to support students.”

— Barbara Bekins, ’88 MS Math

Forging new territories in STEM

For Bekins, a hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey, 2020 fellow for the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and SJSU alumna, the late San José State Math Professor Paul Byrd was more than her teacher, more than her role model — he was a great inspiration for us all.

When his son contacted her to suggest that Bekins contribute to the Paul F. Byrd Scholarship Endowment in the College of Science, she was eager to pay tribute to her mentor’s legacy.

An Air Force veteran who served in the Tuskegee Airmen’s 99th Pursuit Squadron — the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps — Byrd was a pioneer of pure and applied mathematics in an era when historic and institutionalized racism limited opportunities for people of color in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

Before his long career at San José State, Byrd was an aeronautical research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. During the 1950s, he also headed the Palo Alto chapter of the NAACP.

Byrd’s experiences showed Bekins, who was also forging new territory as a woman in science, that it is possible to overcome great adversity in work — and in life. She, too, could contribute to her field and inspire others along the way.

A longtime supporter of SJSU scholarships and activities that encouraged women and girls to pursue STEM, Bekins decided to amplify Byrd’s impact by designating the Paul F. Byrd Scholarship as a beneficiary of her retirement plan.

“The Paul Byrd Fund is a student scholarship targeted for underrepresented minorities, so it aligns with my long-term priorities for supporting scholarships,” said Bekins.

“It’s nice to remember the professors who made a difference to you, particularly those who have already created funds to support students. A little bit of money goes a long way.”

Bekins put her own math degrees to work at the U.S. Geological Survey, where she has dedicated her career to researching the biodegradation of groundwater contaminants. She also helped lead SJSU’s Expanding Your Horizons conference, which offers hands-on STEM learning on campus for middle-school and high-school girls — an opportunity she would have loved as a child.

Whether or not she knows it, Bekins is evidence that women in STEM can make a lasting difference in the field and at San José State.

Ann and Sheffield Clarke. Photo: Robert C. Bain

Unlocking the “keys to the kingdom”

Originally from the East Coast, the Clarkes moved to San José in 1975 and raised three children downtown, not far from campus.

“Through one of our son’s friends, we experienced firsthand how lack of support in a crisis can cause a kid to consider leaving college,” said Ann, a veteran of Santa Clara County’s Probation Department who started her graduate education in justice studies at SJSU. “A timely helping hand can keep a young person going on a difficult path.”

In 2012, the Clarkes established a $50,000 charitable gift annuity with San José State to create an endowment for a university-wide scholarship. In addition to supporting a cause they care about, a charitable gift annuity also provides the Clarkes with a guaranteed income for life and tax advantages.

For Sheffield, a retired businessman, the gift represented an investment, not just in SJSU, but the future of San José.

“The biggest investment for San José is San José State — the more than 36,000 students who attend and graduate with degrees,” said Sheffield. “They are going to contribute to society. You can look at it from a financial standpoint, a social standpoint, an educational standpoint. It’s all positive.”

And then, in winter 2020, the Clarkes watched the COVID-19 pandemic introduce additional obstacles for SJSU students, especially those who lost work, had to relocate or care for family members. Not long after the pandemic forced classes to go online, Ann and Sheffield established a second charitable gift annuity for $100,000 to support the SJSU Student Crisis Support Fund, with the hopes of assisting students facing emergencies long into the future.

“There are so many first-generation students at San José State, and that’s critically important,” said Sheffield. “This particular fund attracted us because if there’s a serious student who has the capability to pursue their degree but runs into a problem, we want to make sure that person stays in school and graduates. That’s the most important thing, because education provides the keys to the kingdom.”

“Through one of our son’s friends, we experienced firsthand how lack of support in a crisis can cause a kid to consider leaving college.”

— Ann Clarke

Want to make a difference?

Create your Spartan legacy by making a planned gift

Top photo: David Schmitz/Students walk through the César E. Chávez Monument at San José State University.