Alumna's Bequest Will Help Future Students

Dr. Bayless grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio and attended Ohio University. She graduated from OU in 1967 with a degree in mathematics, and she received a medical degree from Ohio State University. After graduation, she completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology in Cleveland. She served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a medical doctor and then completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at Yale University. She currently practices medicine in Minnesota.

Education has been instrumental to Dr. Bayless's career in reproductive endocrinology and her life more generally. She met her late husband while in medical school, and she stays connected with fellow Bobcats at Ohio University Black Alumni Reunions. Not only does Dr. Bayless appreciate the importance of education, but she has generously given back to future Ohio University students so that they can have the opportunity to attend college.

Dr. Bayless has decided to contribute to the Urban Scholars Program and the Appalachian Scholars Program. These two programs are merit- and need-based scholarship programs that help deserving students attend Ohio University. The Urban Scholars Program specifically aids students from Ohio urban areas, while the Appalachian Scholars Program helps students within the southeast Ohio counties designated as Appalachia. Having been raised in Chillicothe, Dr. Bayless knows first-hand the challenges facing urban youth as well as the unique challenges of Appalachian Ohio. In both urban regions and Appalachia, the material resources and social support system needed to attend college are too often lacking. In these circumstances, education is a key to social mobility. Dr. Bayless hopes to make a difference in students' lives by giving them the opportunity to succeed in college.

Since education is important to her and she hopes students will follow in her path, Dr. Bayless decided to establish a bequest in her will. A bequest to Ohio University enables Dr. Bayless to help many deserving future Bobcats and, thereby, establish a meaningful and lasting legacy.

If you are interested in helping talented but economically disadvantaged students attend Ohio University, or if you are interested in how a bequest could work for you, please contact Kelli Bell at (740) 597-1819 or [email protected].

You also may want to make it easy and convenient to have a bequest included in your will. The language below shows how a bequest can very easily be included in your will.

You might find it helpful to select the "print" button below and print this page. Feel free to give this page to your attorney. If he or she has any questions, please have him or her contact Kelli Kotowski, Executive Director of Development for Gift Planning, at (740) 597-1819, toll free at (800) 592-3863, or send an email to: [email protected].