Repaying an Act of Kindness

Over a decade ago, Yoshiharu "Yosh" Ohara '52 pledged to make an estate gift to the University of Dayton—a commitment UD received in April 2020, a time when it was arguably needed the most.

Ohara was nisei, a Japanese American with U.S. citizenship, who fought for the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he came to Dayton to be with his wife, Yoshi, and search for a university that would accept him.

Brother George Nagel, S.M., associate dean of business and the school's veterans coordinator, sat down with Ohara and looked through the veteran's incomplete high school transcript. "You'll have to take a little bit of math, but you get credit for lessons in life," the Marianist told Ohara, as recounted by Mike Drees, a longtime friend of the Ohara's.

Ohara never forgot Nagel's act of kindness in welcoming him to UD. He would go on to excel in school, including earning an MBA from Stanford, an accomplishment he always credited to Nagel.

After the death of his wife in 2008, Ohara established the Brother George W. Nagel, S.M., Memorial Scholarship for students majoring in accounting or finance—and he continued his support after his own passing in 2019 by including UD in his will.

Major Bernhold '17 is among the eight students who have already received the Nagel scholarship for one or more years. "It was important to me that I showed success in my education," said Bernhold, a finance graduate. "I was investing in UD, and UD was investing in me. To know there are donors who care enough to give back made a difference."

You, too, can give students like Major Bernhold '17 access to a better education with a gift made through your will. We have simple, free tools to help you develop a giving strategy that is designed to fit your needs.

For your complimentary, no-obligation guide to estate planning, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 937-229-4484 or plannedgiving@udayton.edu.

If you have already included the University of Dayton in your will or estate plan, please let us know so we can properly recognize your commitment, invite you to become a member of the Leo Meyer Society, and explore the impact you hope to have with your gift.