master of landscape architecture ’74

Gift endows scholarships

Judith Rees already was a hands-on landlord when she inherited an apartment building in need of major rehab. Suddenly, she found herself wearing a general contractor hat—on top of her property manager, gardener, and handy man hats. Fortunately, the 1974 UO graduate’s career as a historic preservation program manager for the Portland Development Commission equipped her to take on a major rehabilitation project.

When the project was completed and the chance to sell came up, Rees decided to make a gift that gives back: a charitable remainder trust. By transferring a rental to the trust before selling it, she was able to avoid capital gains taxes and receive a charitable deduction.

Rees’ trust will endow scholarships for UO students in landscape architecture and historic preservation, and at Catlin Gabel, the private K–12 school she attended in Portland.

“Even though I don’t have children of my own, if I can help give an education to others, I feel that’s the greatest gift I can make,” she said.

Originally published in the A&AA Review, Winter 2009