Gardner Reinvests in SMU Through Assets and Service

Greg Gardner '91 was an advertising/political science major who transferred to SMU as a sophomore in order to play football. When he wasn't on the football field, he lived at the SAE house and worked nights at a local pub. As an alumnus, he has served on the Lettermen's Board and the SMU Planned Giving Council. He is the current president of the Mustang Club and represents athletics on the Development and External Affairs Committee of the SMU board of trustees.

Greg remembers coaches Forrest Gregg and Jon Tenuta, as well as trainer Cash Birdwell. He also speaks with deep gratitude of Marsh Terry, the legendary English professor and fascinating lecturer who treated this "jock" with fairness and respect! Greg says that "so much of what I have in life I owe to my experience in football" at SMU, and this has motivated him to give back to the university. Like many students who come to SMU and play sports, the outstanding education Greg received is his most valuable and lasting legacy from the university.

A member of the Dallas Hall Society, Greg continues to support SMU on an annual basis, often using appreciated stock to fund his gifts, which allows him to avoid taxes on capital gains. When deciding on a vehicle for a planned gift, he drew on his professional knowledge as a financial planner to design an insurance gift benefiting SMU. Using this type of gift allowed him to leverage the dollars he could give now to ensure a much larger gift for SMU in the future.