Alumni Value Gannon Education; Pass On Opportunity to Others

Gannon University laid the foundation for Dr. Antoinette Spevetz and Dr. David Hardic to pursue their dreams of careers in medicine. Now they give back so that Gannon can lay the groundwork for future students' success.

As Gannon University students, Dr. Antoinette Spevetz and her husband, Dr. David Hardic, dreamed of doing good through careers in medicine. Both achieved their dreams, with David becoming an optometrist and Toni becoming a physician and associate professor of medicine at Cooper University Hospital.

"We both enjoyed our time at Gannon and feel it gave us the education we needed to go on to graduate school," Toni says. "I believe in Catholic education, and I like the smaller community feeling. At Gannon, people knew you and your goals, and there was always someone there to help and guide you and put things in perspective."

Because both doctors believe a Gannon education made a big difference in their lives, they've donated regular gifts over the years and decided to include a gift to the University in their estate plans. "We don't have any children," Toni says, "so when we went to have our wills made up, the lawyer helped us think about where we would really like to see our money go and where it would do the most good. We both feel loyalty toward Gannon, so it feels really great to be able to help students who are potentially on the same path or who would like to go to school but can't afford it. It's easy to give through estate planning."

"I think others should also think about what Gannon gave to them and where they are in life right now," Toni says. "Then they should think about it and pray about it and make the most generous donation that they can."