Bill Godson III '47 and Juliet Godson

When asked, “Why do you give to Loomis Chaffee?” William “Bill” H. Godson III ’47 smiled shyly, “Well, I like you the best, of course. And you know how to do it right.” Over a span of a few years, Bill and his wife Juliet established six charitable gift annuities (CGAs) with Loomis Chaffee. “The first gift annuity was so easy to do, I decided to do it again,” Bill shared about his propensity to take advantage of the school’s charitable gift annuity program.

After graduating from Loomis in 1947, Bill graduated from college and then went on to earn a number of advanced degrees, including history, urban planning, and theology. Bill was a lifelong student and following that pursuit he took courses well into his 70s. Bill shared, “Education is of great importance to me. I like to do anything I can to perpetuate it.”

Bill passed away in December 2021 and was a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society since 2005. As his family wrote, “[Bill] was so much more than can be put on paper. He was a resolute patriot, serving and studying his government throughout his life. He was a great lover of nature, especially that along the Massachusetts coast, the arts, and travel. He was incredibly competitive.” And, as Juliet said of Bill, “He is extraordinarily unselfish as well as loving, kind, and compassionate.”