Terry ’86 and Dick Southwick

Local business owners. Spirited Warriors. Avid tennis players. Hockey enthusiasts. There are many ways to describe Terry ’86 and Dick Southwick — and now they can also add proud members of the 1947 Society to that list. Longtime supporters of the Merrimack ice hockey program, Terry and Dick recently established the Southwick Family Scholarship and documented a planned gift to the College that, when realized, will further support athletics and financial aid, enhancing the Merrimack experience for generations of Warriors to come.

For Terry and Dick, Merrimack College has long held a significant place in their lives. The couple met while Terry, a business and accounting major, was a commuter student at the College, working in the banking field in between her courses.

Since graduation, she and Dick have enjoyed successful careers in the home building and renovations industry. Together they co-own and operate their company, Southwick Construction, specializing in designing and building custom homes, and have enjoyed the opportunity to work together every day for nearly 30 years.

That strong sense of community led the Southwicks to make frequent trips to campus for hockey games and other alumni events —and allowed them to witness the campus’ transformation firsthand. While they have been astonished at the impressive changes the College has undergone over the years, they find that the heart of Merrimack, the small, welcoming school that Terry was first drawn to as a student, has always remained the same.

Inspired by their connection to the College and impressed by its thoughtful transformation, Terry and Dick made annual gifts in support of the ice hockey program, including a generous gift to the hockey locker room renovation project. Recently, the couple made the momentous decision to invest even further in the College, establishing the Southwick Family Scholarship, a four-year current-use scholarship to be awarded to a tennis player based on financial need.

Taking their support of the College a step further, Terry and Dick also decided it was time to document a planned gift to Merrimack, a decision they felt strongly about.

“We were at a point in our lives that we felt we needed to have everything a little more finalized. Planning your estate really makes you take stock in where you’ve been, where you’re going, what your future holds, and what’s really important to you. Merrimack has been a big part of our life, and we felt it was a very meaningful, purposeful place for us to give back,” says Terry.

When their planned gift is realized, it will establish two endowed funds that will provide operations support for the College’s athletic programs and annual need-based financial aid to a student from New Hampshire, in perpetuity.

Terry and Dick shared that while some of their peers might be hesitant to document their own estate plans, they agree that if someone feels like it is the right time in their life to make such a decision, there’s no need to wait.

“So many people procrastinate. Now is the time. You don’t have to be 80 to start doing this. Nobody knows what will happen, so why wait? Giving to Merrimack is giving to the future for somebody. In the end, that’s really what it’s about, isn’t it?”

Like the Southwicks, your gift can help build a foundation for future generations of Merrimack College students. To discover which planned gift is right for you, contact us at 978-837-5176 or giving@merrimack.edu.