Estate to education: The Creighton Founders’ timeless gift

Jan 28, 2026

Through generous estate gifts, Creighton's Heritage Society members signify a shared vision with our founding family to educate women and men in the service of others.

“The said school shall be known as Creighton College and is designed by me as a memorial of my late husband. I have selected this mode of testifying to his virtues and my affection to his memory because such a work was one which he in his lifetime proposed himself.”

Mary Lucretia Creighton In her last will and testament

Creighton University was founded in 1878 through a transformative act of generosity. When Mary Lucretia Creighton made an estate gift in honor of her late husband Edward, for whom the University is named, she fulfilled their vision to establish a school for higher education.

Today, members of Creighton’s Heritage Society, like Doug Head, BA’69, honor this tradition by remembering Creighton in their estate.

“With my intentions to create the Robert and Dorothy Head Endowed Scholarship expressed in my will, I know my wish to remember my parents will be carried out,” said Head. “Their legacy will be helping future generations access education, something they highly valued.”

-- The Gift and Estate Planning team is here to help you create your legacy with Creighton. --

When Edward died in 1874 without a will, Mary inherited his entire estate. John Creighton, Mary’s brother-in-law, advised her to leave a will to ensure her estate was not lost. In her will, Mary stated:

“The said school shall be known as Creighton College and is designed by me as a memorial of my late husband. I have selected this mode of testifying to his virtues and my affection to his memory because such a work was one which he in his lifetime proposed himself.”

The Creighton family saw the good they could do — during their lifetime and beyond. Now, many alumni and friends, like Head, ensure their own legacies and the greatest impact for our students through planned giving.

“My parents taught me and my siblings the value of work, but my mother also emphasized the value of education. She always told us, ‘Education is something that no one can ever take away from you,'” said Head.

Ensure your values live on—gifts to loved ones and Creighton can make a lasting difference; reach out to our dedicated Gift and Estate Planning team to share what matters most to you.

Robert Skrydlak