“I Feel Like this Connection Allows Me to Walk a Bit in Mom’s Shoes and Carry Her Legacy Forward.”
While many supporters of Aquinas are connected to the College through direct relationships as alumni, that is not the case for Margaret Idema.
Margaret grew up in East Grand Rapids. She graduated from the University of Michigan and became a special education teacher. As a young woman, she traveled around the world (much of it solo) for eleven months before returning to West Michigan. She then went on to secure a position in Human Resources at Steelcase.
Margaret’s late mother was Jane Hibbard Idema, the trailblazing feminist for whom the Women’s Studies Center at Aquinas is named. In the early years of Jane’s work at the college, and under President Norbert Hruby, Jane led Aquinas’ innovative Encore Program, which was developed for women who were returning to school. The program offered flexible and unusual class hours to meet the needs of women who had either never begun college or left their degrees incomplete as they raised families in the 1950s and 1960s. Later, in the mid-1980s, Jane was part of a small group of women who established the College’s Women’s Studies Center.
To honor her lifelong dedication to improving the lives of women, in 2000, with the support of a gift from Mary Caroline “Twink” Frey and James E. McKay, the Women’s Studies Center was named in Jane’s honor.
“She was a kind and humble woman. A Vassar graduate, she finished her schooling and immediately joined the Red Cross. She followed the battles across Europe during WWII serving troops along the way. She had five children and then returned to the University of Michigan to earn her master’s degree. She was very adamant about women getting ahead, and was especially an advocate for pay equality. She was such an inspiration. It means a great deal to me to carry on the things that meant a lot to her.”
Margaret Idema’s mother, Jane Hibbard Idema
In addition to supporting the Jane Hibbard Idema Women’s Studies Center, Margaret makes regular contributions to a scholarship fund established in her mother’s name at Aquinas. Earlier this year, she created a Named Annual Scholarship Fund at the College. “Aquinas College is a real gem in Grand Rapids with its beautiful campus, its unique and progressive degree offerings, and its ability to graduate students that go on to full lives and successful careers.” Margaret said.
When it came time to plan for the future, Margaret sat down with her estate planning attorney, Lauretta Murphy, to devise a plan for where she would want her assets to be eventually distributed beyond her family. “Aquinas College is one of a number of future distributions from my estate and it is because of the connection to my mom. Currently, my gift is set up as an unrestricted gift to the College which may use it for the area of greatest need”
“It is important to me to continue my involvement at Aquinas,” Margaret said. “I feel like this connection allows me to walk a bit in mom’s shoes and carry her legacy forward.”