Chris Meserve ’75

Sometimes you get more than you ever expected from an experience. Chris Meserve ’75 feels this way about her Evergreen experience, and she’s paid it forward to her alma mater with time, energy, and philanthropic support. “I started at Evergreen the year it opened, 1971,” Chris explains. “It’s always exciting to be among the first to experience something, but my education and internship experiences, fellow students, and mentors all helped me grow.” She ended up attending law school, and though she didn’t expect to practice law, Chris continues to enjoy a decades-long career as a family law firm partner.

Chris and her classmates developed a special loyalty to Evergreen, especially as it faced periodic challenges from state politicians. “We felt Evergreen was a unique but fragile institution we needed to support in all ways,” says Chris. She did, serving on the Alumni Association Board soon after graduating and transitioning onto The Evergreen State College Foundation Board of Governors in the early 1980s. Chris is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of The Evergreen State College, appointed by Governor Gardner in 1990 and reappointed by Governor Lowry in 1992.

When Chris saw a fellow Board member make a planned gift to Evergreen, she felt inspired to do the same. “I thought, ‘Heck, I could do that!’” she says. “It didn’t hurt at all,” she chuckles. “Now is the perfect time to give because of our Forever Green campaign. It’s a great way to make a difference at this important juncture in Evergreen’s history.” Chris finds planned giving not just satisfying, but liberating. “You can’t take it with you,” she says. “I want what’s left after I’m gone to do good.”

Strengthen Tomorrow for Evergreen

If your time at Evergreen was formative like it was for Chris, contact Bree Marsch-Grim, '21 at (360) 867-6300 or foundation@evergreen.edu to discuss how you can create a powerful legacy that ensures a bright future for our students.