tish carr - Class of 1977

At Gould, I had an opportunity to explore so many different paths that were not available at the public school that I attended prior to Gould.  I was able to take photography, which at that point in my life was my passion, although dissuaded by my dad but was embraced and supported by Jim Owen. That support and encouragement from Jim Owen was huge and, honestly, pivotal for me.  There were other faculty as well, Lucia Owen, Paul McGuire, Bonnie Pooley, Mac Davis, Charlie Newell, the list goes on and on! Which is what is so amazing about Gould, the faculty.

Gould gave me an opportunity to explore forestry through my senior May project working at the US Forest Service Evans Notch District located down the hill from school.  Opportunities like that have been so treasured and have guided me along both my personal and professional life. Honestly, I am so grateful for all that Gould gave me through amazing faculty that challenged me, supported me and opened new paths of possibilities that I didn’t even know existed before attending Gould.  Gould faculty and the Gould community created a curiosity for learning that I didn’t have before. 

Fast forward to today.  Retirement looms a little closer each year but the curiosity to learn, instilled at Gould continues to this day.  To that end and for some it might seem ridiculous, but after being out of high school for nearly 35 years (yelp), opportunity knocked and someone (literally) handed me the chance to go back to graduate school. Many, I think, questioned my sanity.  But for me, it was another exciting adventure, not knowing where this path would lead me but knowing that it started at Gould.  I went back to graduate school in the fall of 2013. Received my masters in forestry in 2014 and opportunity knocked (again), and I went back to school in 2017 (40 years out of Gould!) and earned my PhD in 2019.  The curiosity to learn continues to run strong for me. Many thanks to Gould faculty and the Gould community for creating that environment for me, which has truly lasted a lifetime.

To that end, and because Gould has had such a pivotal role in my life, I felt it important in some small way, to give back a token of what Gould has given me.  I learned about the opportunity to give back to Gould through my estate planning, when that time comes.  It doesn’t stop me from still doing the annual giving, because that is important, too, but it does give me an opportunity to give a bit more support to the Gould community, Gould faculty and current students. It is important to me that Gould knows how important it has been during my high school days, throughout my career and beyond. Because without Gould, I am not sure where that journey would have taken me.  I have been grateful to Gould and hope that it can be returned through my gesture of estate planning to benefit Gould.