Central College Receives $431,000 Estate Gift From Mary Vanden Berge

by Central College

Pella, IA (10/01/2020) — Central College received an estate gift of more than $431,000 from Mary Vanden Berge, a 1967 graduate of the college.

Vanden Berge majored in history at Central and went on to earn her master's in library sciences from what now is the State University of New York at Geneseo. She was a longtime resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she worked for 30 years for the City of Philadelphia Library as a general librarian and later a federal documents librarian.

She also volunteered throughout her lifetime, including leadership positions such as financial secretary with the Overbrook Presbyterian Church, where she was buried, in Philadelphia.

Vanden Berge made her first gift to Central in 1972. She died Feb. 25, 2017, at age 71.

"We are grateful for this extremely generous gift," says Sunny Gonzales Eighmy, vice president for advancement and a 1999 Central graduate. "Like many alumni who may not be close to Central in distance, she kept the college close to her heart and certainly displayed her heart for others with this gift. Her generosity will open doors for generations of future Central students."

Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private, four-year liberal arts college. Central is known for its academic rigor, leadership and character development, global experiential learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and sustainability education, athletics and service. For more information about Central College: www.central.edu.

Media Attachments