John and Elizabeth Armstrong never planned on becoming philanthropists. They both grew up middle class in the shadow of the Great Depression. “Our upbringings were modest,” says Elizabeth, “There was nothing lavish.”
“In fact,” adds John, “we’re uncomfortable with anything lavish today.”
Still, they know they have done well especially compared to others, including their family. John’s grandfather served with the Union in the Civil War. His father migrated from the family farm to the city at the turn of the last century. Neither went to college, but John did well in school and earned scholarships to Harvard where he earned his BA, MS and PhD. He went on to become a vice president at IBM, starting as a researcher before moving into management.
“I never expected to find wealth. I never wanted fancy stuff,” says John. He simply liked school and work and he did well.
Elizabeth earned scholarships too, and she never took them for granted. “The scholarships were a help,” she says, “and since then I’ve had an obligation to give back.” She volunteered, including with United Way of Westchester, NY, where she eventually worked.
When John and Elizabeth retired in the mid-nineties they moved to Amherst. They loved the college town and Elizabeth had ties to the area. Her mother was born in Pelham and her grandmother had been the school principal in Leeds.
The couple jumped into retirement by giving back even more. They were founding members of the UMass/Amherst Foundation and the Emily Dickinson Museum. John become a trustee of UMass Amherst. Elizabeth went to the United Way office to see how she could help. She got involved with the Tocqueville Society and the community investment grant review process.
Giving to United Way is now a habit for them. “But it’s more,” says Elizabeth, “United Way provides agency oversight and accountability. So many fundraising appeals can be purely emotional, but United Way’s critical grant review process assures we are giving with our heads as well as with our hearts.”