Honoring His Values

Anger is the emotion that first prompted Greg Meyer’s journey to making a planned gift to the UWM Foundation.

In 2021, Greg, who works as a software engineer at Snap-on Incorporated in Rochester Hills, Michigan, read news stories about atrocities committed against Native American children at boarding schools. Children were forced to attend and work at the boarding schools, which were operated by governmental and religious authorities in many parts of the upper Midwest well into the 20th century. When Greg learned that the eradication of native languages was one of the government’s goals, he decided to take action in a positive way.

Greg called a professor at the University of Michigan, who connected Greg with Margaret Noodin, then the director of UWM’s Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education. Margaret, currently associate dean for humanities in UWM’s College of Letters & Science, specializes in Indigenous and American Indian literature, cultureand language revitalization.

After talking with Margaret, Greg decided to create an estate plan to endow the work of the Electa Quinney Institute, including support for Indigenous language instruction.

“I believe that the spirits of those whom we have loved or touched deeply live on in us,” Greg explains. “My father’s spirit lives on in me, and I hope my spirit will live on in the lives of those I’ve touched. I believe that children are our future, and I want to support an education that will teach them how to live in peace and harmony.”

Mark Freeland, the current director of the Electa Quinney Institute and an associate professor of anthropology at UWM, says being able to learn Indigenous languages is an important part of connecting with Indigenous culture.

“Not many schools in higher education offer the opportunity to learn Indigenous languages, and UWM offers instruction in five,” Mark says. “The educational system was historically used as a weapon against us, as evidenced by what happened in boarding schools, but thanks to support from allies like Greg, UWM will have a sustaining source of support to teach students about Indigenous culture and continue to breathe life into our Indigenous languages.”

Like Greg, you can make a difference for our students and support what’s important to you by making a planned gift to the UWM Foundation. To learn how, contact Gretchen E. Miller, J.D. at (414) 229-3067 or gemiller@uwm.edu.