Donor Story: Mary and Ron Pressman
Mary Henderson Pressman (JYA 1976-77) is Vice President of the University of St Andrews’ American Foundation, and her connections to the town and the institution date back to her father’s time as a student here in the 1930s. She explains what inspired her family to continue their support for St Andrews through the Making Waves Campaign.
“The town of St Andrews and the University are in my blood,” says Mary, whose father, John Henderson, graduated in 1939 with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. John – who came to St Andrews from Glasgow – served in the RAF during the second world war before returning to the University of St Andrews as a member of the Economics Faculty from 1947 to 1952, and was the Warden of St Salvator’s Hall. John then entered graduate school at Harvard, where he completed a PhD in Economics. On achieving his PhD, John returned to St Andrews, and it was during this time that Mary was born.
Along with fellow alumnus Alex Fleming, John founded the University of St Andrews American Foundation in the mid-1970s, and received an honorary degree from the University in 1988.
Mary returned to St Andrews over the years for family trips and for her Junior Year Abroad from Bates College in Maine, US, from 1976-1977. She is now Vice President of the American Foundation, continuing the family connections to the University.
“The Making Waves Campaign provides another opportunity for my family to provide support to the University we know and love,” she explains.
“We are inspired by the development of ‘New College’ and the beginning of the University of St Andrews Business School, which will include the Economics facility – my father’s field of study and work.
“Our contributions honour our family legacy by supporting the creation of a wonderful new facility in a beloved location of the town. ‘New College’ will provide countless opportunities for future St Andrews students and faculty, and we cannot wait to see it become a part of the fabric of the entire community.”
We are hugely grateful to the Pressman family for their ongoing commitment to the University, and for their support of the Making Waves Campaign.
Learn more about the Making Waves Campaign, including the ‘New College’ project.