A Special Thank You

List of 2 items.

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  John Drye '67

  John graduated from St. John’s nearly 43 years ago and still believes that the School is woven into the fabric of his everyday life. Drye recalls his parents chose to send him to St. John’s on the advice of a family friend, Drye’s former elementary school teacher, who believed he “needed to be challenged more as he was capable of doing anything he desired.” Drye continues to embrace these words today, and through his estate hopes to be able to provide that same opportunity for future generations of St. John’s students.
  
  While at St. John’s, Drye participated in choral for most of his school career. As his parents had spent their early married years living in New York, they brought their love of Broadway to Drye, even taking him to see two performances. Looking back, he is not sure if all seniors were required to try out for the Upper School musical his senior year or if his budding interest in performance nudged him to the audition, but he embraced the challenge with open arms. Drye recalls, “That performance is my singular favorite memory at St. John’s.” Though he quips, “socializing with classmates in Senior Country is a close second!”
  
  Coincidentally, Drye’s first year at Tulane featured the same musical he participated in at St. John’s, and despite being a first-year architecture major, he was cast in the show. He continued with theatre extracurricular activities before graduating and beginning his architecture career, temporarily leaving his theatrical endeavors behind. However, thanks to a tribute performance of On with the Show put together for Mr. Chidsey in 1981, Drye’s theater passion was once again ignited, as was his passion for St. John’s.
  
  After an architectural client of Drye’s, a St. John’s parent, saw his performance in On with the Show, he suggested that he audition for the Junior League Charity Ball Show. Drye spent several years performing in those shows and later performed in several Theatre Under the Stars productions. Drye has also served in numerous volunteer capacities with St. John’s including serving as the current Co-Class Rep for the St. John’s Fund and previously serving as the Alumni Board President during the School’s 50th Anniversary, yet another challenge Drye felt gave him “a sense of self confidence” previously not known. While Drye’s architectural career continues to take the bulk of his time, he attributes the “re-awakening of his interest in the arts” directly to St. John’s.
  
  Now as Drye plans his estate, he reflects upon the influences of St. John’s on his life. As a teenager, he embraced opportunities that led him to create a path that both satisfied his professional needs in architecture but also inspired him to keep his love of the arts alive. Now as an adult, Drye’s daily life is entrenched in St. John’s through his passion for the arts, his volunteer service, and the people he surrounds himself with on a daily basis. Drye states that as a teenager, “It never occurred to me that I would be friends with a lot of these people [his classmates] over 50 years later.”
  
  Drye’s only heirs include his niece and nephew so when preparing his will, St. John’s immediately came to mind as an important beneficiary. By leaving St. John’s his Individual Retirement Account (IRA), he is able to leave a legacy with St. John’s, while also allowing his family to avoid any tax consequences as a result of their inheritance. Should the amount be at a minimum level for restriction upon his death, Drye hopes to make an impact on the St. John’s Fine Arts Department that most certainly made a lasting impact on him.
  
   
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  Laurence Leopold '86

  Laurence, now a resident of Atlanta, has built a full and adventurous life that has taken him very far from his roots in Houston. Laurence has not set foot on the St. John’s campus in well over a decade, yet he recently made St. John’s a beneficiary of a whole life policy as part of his estate plan. Why? “It just makes sense. After 13 years there, why wouldn’t I?”
  
  Adopted as a newborn by an Aerospace engineer at NASA, education has been a part of Laurence’s life from the moment he came home from the hospital. Both of his parents were proud graduates of the University of Michigan and held multiple degrees. Laurence and his brother, Robert (’79), grew up in a household rooted in a rich culture of learning. Looking back, it comes as no surprise to Laurence that his parents chose St. John’s for their boys. By the fall of ’73, Laurence couldn’t have been happier to join his brother on the campus where he had spent most of his childhood, finally as a student there himself.
  
  While education may have been a huge influence in their family, Laurence will be the first to tell you that his grades did not place him among the top of his class. Ironically, that’s one of the reasons St. John’s holds such a special place in his heart. Laurence says, “St. John’s provided the foundation for my life.” While his grades may have been average at St. John’s, the skills he gained allowed him to earn acceptance into law school and an MBA program, giving him immediate career options upon graduation. In his professional life, he credits much of his ability to easily build professional relationships with diverse clients to his athletic experience at St. John’s.
  
  Through the various sports he played, St. John’s coaches taught him confidence and when to know whether to lead the team or simply be a team player. Of his experience, Laurence says, “Even if you were not a top student, you still had a home there. Whether it be in the classroom, on the field, or at lunch with your friends, you learned to explore more, dive deeper, make stronger connections, and just try to be a better person. All those values — I learned at St. John’s.” His deep love of learning is evident in his worldly travels. From beautiful cities to exotic islands to small towns in Africa, Laurence thrives on exploring new places, ideas, and cultures.
  
  Within 14 months between 2011 and 2012, Laurence lost all of the members of his nuclear family. While his parents' deaths occurred when they were both in their 90s, his brother’s passing was unexpected. Without children and after losing his brother so suddenly, Laurence began making his plans for his assets, should he pass unexpectedly as well. “I started thinking,” Laurence said, “Where do I want to leave my legacy?” Laurence sees a gift of life insurance proceeds as a way to honor and continue the legacy of his brother’s and parents’ love of St. John’s and as a means of amplifying his giving beyond what he might otherwise be able to do in an outright gift. Laurence intends to create an endowment supporting the athletics program, a facet of St. John’s that helped him develop leadership skills and a sense of confidence that he carries into today.
  
  Laurence says he has a hard time articulating why St. John’s means so much to him and thinks it’s hard to explain it to someone that hasn’t had a similar 13-year progression at the same private school. “After having spent so many years of his life tied to St. John’s, it’s so intertwined into who I am that I can’t put my finger on just one thing that made it so special.” As he thinks about the success he has found in his life and where he wants to leave his legacy, it all points back to St. John’s. “Now it is time to give back to a School that gave me so much.”