In the spring of 2024, Nancy Bacon, the daughter of Paula Bacon ‘64, shared news of her mother’s death. She also shared that as part of Paula’s estate, Bates would receive a gift demonstrating her lifelong appreciation for her time on campus. Nancy shared the following reflection on how this gift came to Bates. Nancy said, “When you love a place, you seek to protect it, improve it, and promote it.” Bates and future generations of students are grateful to the Bacon family for the ways this gift will promote, improve, and protect the Bates experience.

Here is Nancy’s story:

My mother, Paula Bacon ’64, passed away in January 2024. I spent two weeks by her side, and she left us peacefully. It was a surreal experience sitting in a quiet corner by my mother's bed during the stillness between Christmas and New Year's. Beginnings and ends inside the beehive of a nursing home that hummed with the melodious cadences of the workers.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how a sense of place can shape people. My mother was tremendously proud of two things: her heritage as the great-granddaughter of the first settlers of South Dennis, a village on Cape Cod, and her Bates education.

“My mother’s love for Bates is central to her legacy and how she will be remembered.”

This deep love of place is something I learned from her. When you love a place, you seek to protect, improve, and promote it—all things she was committed to throughout her life.

A love of place can become one’s legacy. My mother’s love for Bates is central to her legacy and how she will be remembered.

Like many Americans, my mother didn’t have a will, and she hadn’t thought in practical terms about her legacy. She could talk all day about Bates, or saving Bass River, or how important it is to work to improve our communities. She hadn’t thought about the future, or about the influence she wanted to leave behind. My career is in nonprofits, helping them to thrive. It was profoundly important to me that we codify her legacy in a will.

“I hope that sharing how I helped my mother decide to whom she would contribute through her will may help others as they navigate end-of-life conversations.”

These conversations were some of the best I ever had with my mother. She regaled me with stories about Bates Reunions, trips with classmates, and how she got frostbite on her toe during a Maine ski trip. I heard about her pride as a writer, a skill she honed at Bates, and how the liberal arts education served her as she traveled the world with her Army husband.

How I helped my mother decide to whom she wanted to contribute through her will may help others trying to have end-of-life conversations. We started by talking through the movements and causes she cared about. We reflected on the many organizations doing good work. We landed on the organizations and institutions she wanted to contribute to through her will. Every time another organization made the list, she reminded me to make sure Bates knew that she was remembering her education.

Thank you, Bates College, for being such a powerful source of inspiration for my mother.

—Nancy Bacon, FR, daughter ‘64