Sharon and Richard Docksteader Investing in Hamline Sharon Docksteader opens every piece of mail she receives. “There might be a stamp or a dollar in there somewhere, you just never know,” she joked.  So she felt extra lucky the day she opened a letter from Hamline University containing information for donors considering a deferred annuity: a gift to Hamline that pays a fixed income for life, and where the payments are deferred until a future date, resulting in larger payments. We had a lump sum we needed to invest, and when we got the letter offering this delayed annuity, it fit exactly what we needed,” Sharon said. “And the interest rate was good. Really good.” Contributing money to Hamline has always been part of Sharon and Richard Docksteader’s discipline.  “We send money to the alumni fund every year, which we’ve done for some time,” Sharon said. “We have pride in the school.” Richard added. After graduating from high school in a class of twenty-nine student in small-town Willow River, Minnesota, Sharon was drawn to Hamline University in 1952 because she wanted to pursue a nursing degree at a four-year college.  Although she and Richard already were engaged at the time, “there was no choice of getting married until I finished school,” Sharon said. Hamline had appeal because it was a small school. “The idea of a large school like the University of Minnesota scared me,” Sharon said.  And, as valedictorian of her high school class she received a Hamline scholarship, one of the largest scholarships for women at the time. “I loved Hamline,” Sharon said. Although she and Dick were married, she completed her Hamline nursing degree and enjoyed a successful career, while relocating frequently as Richard’s career as a journeyman large equipment assembler and raising a family. The Docksteaders purchased their first recreational vehicle in 1978 after Sharon retired.  The couple continued traveling across the country with Richard’s career relocations, until his retirement in 1987.  Today, the Docksteaders’ travels are strictly for fun.  They are enjoying their retirement knowing the interest from their hard-earned money will be eventually used to support the greatest needs of Hamline University. If you have some money that needs to be invested well and you don’t need the income immediately, a deferred annuity is a great opportunity,” Sharon said.   This article was written by Jennifer L. Krempin, JD ’06