Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000 - 81

So not only did I knock on others' doors, I knocked on our own
doors. And I am very proud of that.
Interviewer: Well, you have continued that to this day. After you finished your term as immediate past-president you moved on to a
couple of other things within the institute. Most notable among
them was putting together the leadership of the Planned Giving Task
Force, isn't that correct?
RE: That's right. When Sarah lash Gates became our president, I
knocked on her door and asked what I could do to help her. We
discussed it and decided that someone needed to develop a
planned giving program. It seemed that almost every other
50 I (c) 3 not-for-profit group in the country had one, why didn't
we? And it didn't seem to be rocket science; all of the boilerplate had been worked out. So I went to some conferences to
learn more about planned giving programs. I also went to our
university development officers, and some local non-profits, and
developed a very simple program. I then developed the first
brochure. lext, I began to talk to some people and discuss the
short period of time that we are on this earth and what happens
to our resources when we leave. As a result a number of people
have listened and have subsequently come forth and made endowments and gifts and put us in their wills. And it is interesting, because it has grown like a tree. Those people have gone
out and gotten other people. And I'm thinking the same way. I
plan that when I leave I will endow the Institute with a major
gift. So it actually is putting your money where your mouth is; it
is something that I intend to do.

Interviewer: That's very generous of _ou. But then, I don't think that
we would expect any1hing less. Thank you for those thoughts.

Randy's leadersbip continued to grow and mature along u'itb tbe Institute tbat bad become so mucb a part ofbis life. Sbort()' after tbe
completion ofbis term as preSident, be took up tbe leadersbip ofbis
department at SjSU, serving as tbe Head ofDl'amafrom 1987 tbrougb
1995. He continues bis leadersbip witbin tbe Institute to tbis velJ'
day. Inducted as a Fellow oftbe Institute in 1982, be now serves tbat
group as cbaiJ; organizing tbeir activities and supervising tbe selection processfor new Fellows. He also generous()1 serves as a committee member of Tbe Living HistDlY Project. In tbat capaciZg be
recent()1 served as principle interviewerfor tbe recorded interview of
bis long-time colleague andformer student,jan Musson. *:.
THE LIVI GHISTORY PROJECT is jointly sponsored and funded as an

all-commission project by the Comm.issioner's Fund and the commissions of the Institute. The objective is to \~deo tape interviews witil those
indi\~duals who have had Significant involvement \~th ilie history of the
Institute from its founding to the present. This process was initiated at
the 1999 conference at Toronto. It is envisioned that over the next few
years some 75 to 100 indi~duals will be inten~ewed. The ongoing
project will then continue to record the Institute's history as it unfolds.
The Uving HiStOIY Project is chaired by Richard D. Stephens, who
authored tile above :uncle. He \\~shes to tllank Sarah B. Faszholz for assistance \\~tll u-anscription and editorial suggestions, as well as Douglas C. Taylor and tile SlIT office staff for rese:u'ch assistance.

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