Life Fellow Woodburn funds ASME Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity

Suzanne Surbeck
ASME Operations

Engineers of today and tomorrow will benefit from the vision and generosity of ASME Life Fellow James Woodburn. Using part of his stock portfolio to support the Society's education programs, he has funded an ASME Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity.

"The Foundation encourages solid engineering, fundamental education, and supports the foundations for safety-oriented codes and standards," Woodburn said, adding that his gift annuity is geared toward helping today's generation of engineers "because they will lead the next."

James Woodburn

While supporting the ASME Foundation goals, Woodburn's ASME Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity also enables him to receive a percentage of his original donation each year as guaranteed income for the remainder of his life.

In addition to the lifetime guaranteed income, donors can often avoid capital gains taxes and receive charitable tax savings on the gift. "Every party benefits from this form of a Charitable Gift Annuity," said Warren Leonard, the ASME Foundation's director of development.

Woodburn decided to enter the engineering profession after receiving a mechanical drafting scholarship award in high school. He received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1947 and then worked for a number of companies in the Midwest, including United Light & Railway Service, Black & Veatch, and Johnson Sheetmetal.

In 1951, he joined the Burbank, Calif., Water & Power Department. He retired as chief engineer in 1985. He also earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California in 1971. Among the highlights of his career, he said, were working on the advancement of co-generation, the development of alternate energy resources, and the use of reclaimed waste water.

Woodburn's service to ASME includes chairing the Los Angeles Section from 1974–75 and serving as former Pacific Region vice president from 1982–84. He chaired the 1977 Joint Power Generation Conference on the Queen Mary cruise ship and in 1985 received the ASME Dedicated Service Award.

He believes that engineers will continue to play a critical public service role in the 21st century. "They are crucial to maintaining health, safety and welfare in light of shortages of water and energy due to increasing population," he explained.

A Founding Member of the ASME Foundation's Archimedes Club, Woodburn said, "The Archimedes program can energize others to support the long-term goals of ASME."

A stock transfer Charitable Gift Annuity is one way to support the Foundation and the engineering profession. For others, contact Warren Leonard at (212) 591-7846, or e-mail him at leonardw@asme.org.

 

back to news & features