Hargrove Bequest Marks Record Donation for D.C.
Posse D.C. was honored to receive a generous $156,000 bequest from Ann Hargrove, a regular donor to the organization. The donation is the largest gift ever received by Posse D.C. locally. A second gift from the estate will be made later this year.
Ann’s career as an educator spanned decades and made a positive impact on thousands of young people. She began teaching in 1953 in New York public schools. Education continued to be her focus when she moved abroad to work with children of U.S. Navy families in Japan and with children of U.S. Army families in Germany from 1961 to 1968.
Upon returning to the United States, Ann taught at West Springfield High School in Virginia and received a master’s degree from the University of Maryland after being awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. She also taught at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia, where she eventually became director of guidance before retiring in 1996.
Sally Harris, Ann’s younger sister, says Ann was a gifted teacher who was patient, a good listener, and always concerned about the needs of others. Among the many letters saved from former students, Sally still has a note written by Ann to her class in place of a final exam in 1972. Ann wrote: “If a group of people really care for one another—they can disapprove or disagree, and it will only bring them closer. Work for this in any group or family you’re part of. And make sure you’re always part of a group or family!”
“She was always glowing about Posse.”
According to Sally, Ann’s attention to group relationships and her dedication to supporting students from diverse backgrounds made for a perfect fit with Posse’s mission.
“She was always glowing about Posse,” says Sally. “Knowing of Ann’s concern for inequities in the education system, and everywhere else, I feel it is no wonder she joined up with The Posse Foundation and gave to it the largest percentage of her bequests.”
“The Posse Foundation is incredibly grateful to receive Ann’s bequest and to honor her memory through our work,” says Posse D.C. Director Tamara Wilds Lawson. “This transformational gift will support hundreds of D.C.-area Scholars and alumni who are changing their college campuses, workplaces and communities in incredible ways.”
