Dr. Marlene Godoy '76 Brightens Undergraduates' Futures Through Additional Bequest Commitment

Long before she became a dentist and visionary donor, Dr. Marlene Godoy '76 paid her way through school at UC Irvine. The undergraduate biological sciences major worked four jobs, rode her bicycle to campus from her family home and helped her parents financially. She also served as the school's first peer advisor.

"From the time I was a student, I knew I wanted to support other students financially," Godoy says.

So, she has. Building on a lifetime of philanthropic giving to her alma mater, Godoy recently increased her bequest commitment to the UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. Her endowment will benefit undergraduates for generations to come.

"I hope my gift will encourage students who are struggling economically to complete their degrees and pursue fulfilling careers," she says.

Throughout dental school, Godoy spent weekends and vacations volunteering as student staff for the USC Dental Mobile Clinic. In that role, she treated children of migrant workers in the Central Valley and orphans in Mexico. That volunteer work, along with her continued efforts to recruit undergraduate biological sciences students, inspired the UC Irvine Alumni Association to award Godoy the Lauds & Laurels Community Service Award in 1980 - just weeks before she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree from the University of Southern California.

A loyal Anteater, Godoy served eight years on the UC Irvine Alumni Association Board of Directors. She helped select scholarship recipients, organized events, served on search committees for two past chancellors, and raised funds for building the first Alumni House. Eventually, she helped the then-dean of biological sciences, Susan Bryant, Ph.D., start the school's own alumni chapter and mentorship program. Bryant, one of Godoy's undergraduate professors, remains a treasured mentor and friend.

For the last 20 years, Godoy has been adding to the endowment she established at UC Irvine for undergraduates in the biological sciences. Annual gifts and multiple bequest commitments from her estate have contributed to the growth of the Dr. M. Marlene Godoy Endowment Fund. Leaving a portion of an estate to the university is one of the easiest ways to create a lasting legacy for specific projects or programs on campus. Planned gifts often allow donors to make a larger impact than they might think is possible and may also provide estate tax advantages.

In 2008, Godoy was honored to be the School of Biological Sciences' commencement speaker, and in 2017, the UC Irvine Alumni Association honored her with a second Lauds & Laurels Award - as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award that year.

Thanks to Godoy's strategic giving, UC Irvine undergraduates have had opportunities to attend international conferences and to participate in summer research projects.

"You don't know what impact your gift will have," Godoy says. "A student you help could end up curing cancer."

Many student beneficiaries have kept in touch with Godoy over the years. In thank-you letters, they have shared how her gifts changed their lives and encouraged them to follow their dreams. These stories reaffirm Godoy's belief that "universities should not only educate but also nurture and provide opportunities for students to see they have unlimited potential."

No matter what paths they have followed, students have remained grateful to Godoy for both her financial support and her encouragement. The entire UC Irvine community appreciates her compassionate partnership.

Godoy urges friends of the university and alumni to support students by considering an estate gift of their own. She reminds us all, "It doesn't take a lot to make a difference. Every gift counts."

Please contact our Office of Planned Giving at (949) 824-5820 or [email protected] if you have any questions or would like a confidential, no-obligation, personalized discussion on how these and other strategies may be a good fit for your tax planning and philanthropic goals.