Gifts Preserve Black Stories at Northwestern

Willard Evans ’77, ’81 MBA Supports the Archivist for the Black Experience Fund with Blended Gifts, Including a Bequest in His Estate Plan

“If we don’t capture the stories of our Black students, faculty, and alumni, they will be lost forever,” says Willard Evans ’77, ’81 MBA, who has been deeply involved with the Black community at Northwestern University both as a student and an alumnus. For this purpose, Evans has included a generous bequest in his estate plan to benefit the Archivist for the Black Experience Fund at Northwestern and provide immediate support for this initiative. “Preserving our stories will be my legacy and life’s work at the University,” Evans says.

Evans’s gifts help sustain the Archivist for the Black Experience, a position established within Northwestern University Libraries in response to protests over proposed plans to fold the Black House into Multicultural Student Affairs. At that time, Evans and his fellow Northwestern University Black Alumni Association leaders called for the creation of a role dedicated to documenting and educating the community about Black life at the University. Charla Wilson has served in this capacity since 2015, working with students, faculty, and community members; supporting research; and leading a wide range of projects related to the experiences of Black community members.

“We are honored that Will has chosen to entrust us with the important work of preserving Black history at the University Libraries,” says Xuemao Wang, dean of Libraries and the Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian. “His support will make it possible to share the history, achievements, and experiences of our Black community with our current users and future generations.”

As a student, Evans—who earned an undergraduate degree from the McCormick School of Engineering and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management—turned to the Black community for friendship and support. “I was among only a few Black students in my undergraduate engineering classes, and the social scene at the University was centered on Greek life, which was primarily white,” says Evans. “The Black House became my safe place to coalesce with others.”

Evans’s connections to this community ultimately brought him back to Northwestern. He pursued a career at Peoples Gas that lasted almost 40 years and culminated with him retiring as president in 2014. He then went on to lead the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association from 2018 to 2020. Evans also became a member of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle, Henry and Emma Rogers Society, Deering Society, and Kellogg Alumni Club of Chicago.

Giving Now and Later

When Evans decided to support the Archivist for the Black Experience Fund at Northwestern, he chose blended giving—a combination of outright and deferred gifts. He has provided immediate support for the fund as well as a bequest in his estate plan that will enhance the fund after his lifetime. Bequests, often made through a will or trust, are an effective way to have a significant impact at Northwestern. They can be structured to support the University overall or to target a particular school or program. Additionally, this form of giving is revocable, allowing donors to hold onto their assets if they need them.

“I have included Northwestern in my estate plans because the University has had a tremendous impact on my life and the lives of so many others,” Evans says. “I hope that my gifts can be used to capture our stories.

Create Opportunities for Future Students

Would you like to create a legacy at the school or program at Northwestern that helped shape the person you are today? Contact Northwestern Gift Planning at 800-826-6709 or giftplanning@northwestern.edu for help.