For David Clayman '38, a retired math teacher from Lawrence, Massachusetts, giving smaller gifts consistently seems the best way to have a major impact. Since 1988, annuity by annuity, he has steadily built the David Clayman Scholarship Fund at Harvard College. This fund, which has grown to $2 million, will assist at least eight undergraduates attending Harvard each year.

David spent much of his career as a math teacher at the Lawrence and Methuen High Schools. He led Lawrence to become the first high school in the country to teach calculus, probability, and statistics, subjects once thought "too difficult" for this age group. As David states, "I saw myself as a sergeant leading them bravely to attack the world of the unknown. I felt like I was leading my troops in the war against ignorance. Charge!"

As the son of Russian immigrants who worked in the grinding textile mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts, David knows something about what it is like to struggle to pay for college. But the experience was well worth it. David says, "No matter what I did in life, it seemed to be an expression of what I got from Harvard College. My life has been a search of trying to learn new things. The thing I treasure most is my Harvard diploma." David's gifts, designated for students from his native Lawrence and the surrounding area schools, ensure that others will benefit from a Harvard education. As David continues to establish gift annuities each year, the number of students he can help grows.

In light of recent market fluctuations, the gift annuity, with its fixed and guaranteed payments, is currently very attractive to Harvard alumni. With bonds paying 5-6 percent and CDs paying 3-4 percent, David knows the gift annuity is the logical choice for alumni who want to receive a guaranteed income from their gift today.

Reflecting his sense of commitment to his native Lawrence and to the College, David's gift arrangement is one that will benefit both in perpetuity. As David states, "When you're gone, you would like there to be a vestige of the fact that you were there." The David Clayman Scholarship Fund, a generous gift from an inspired math teacher, will leave an indelible mark on both of his cherished worlds. You can count on that.

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