Adri Butler '52

"Why wait?" asks Adri Butler, referring to her planned gift to Marlborough's endowment. "I wanted to do something to help secure Marlborough's future. I decided it would be much more fun to do it while I'm still around to see the results."

As an alumna, the parent of a Marlborough student, a volunteer, and trustee, Adri Butler has been involved with Marlborough School for most of her adult life. "For me, Marlborough has always been about opportunities. Girls here have the opportunity to take chances, to try things, to do things that would not be available to them at other schools. I was a young woman of the 50s, but I had opportunities for leadership at Marlborough."

"The years at Marlborough were a highlight of my life. I developed friendships at Marlborough that have lasted to this day. The skills I learned at Marlborough—to write, to edit, to organize, to get things done—those skills have been useful throughout my working career." A voracious reader and a student of literature, Adri started a bookstore in Santa Monica and ran it for 17 years. During that time, she also ran Marlborough's summer book fair.

"You support what you care about—with work, funds, time, whatever you can. Marlborough is a priority for me. As time goes on, I more and more appreciate things that have lasted, things that are really good rather than trendy. Marlborough today is bigger, there are more classes, better facilities, more of everything—but the school's essence has been the same for 100 years. The emphasis has always been on giving young women an extraordinary education. I've thought a lot about what is meaningful to me. What could be more meaningful or important than education?"

"Marlborough has a long history of wise governance, and that shows. The school is a leader in education in Los Angeles. That kind of excellence doesn't just happen. It takes support. So many people have worked to make Marlborough the best it can be. For those of us who have benefited from their efforts, a planned gift is a way to give back to the school—and to provide for the next generation."