Remembering a Loyal Alumna: Joan Platt ’67

In November 2020 we lost a loyal alumna and former trustee, Joan Platt ’67. Joan grew up in nearby Massachusetts and enrolled at Connecticut College as an American history major. Joan was a four-year scholarship recipient who frequently expressed the gratitude she felt for the opportunities provided to her in being able to attend a premier liberal arts college.

Remembered as an intelligent and compassionate person, Joan consistently gave to the annual fund and amplified her gifts through her employer giving match program. Joan ultimately created a charitable unitrust that included Connecticut College as a beneficiary and then became a planned giving agent.

As a planned giving agent, Joan educated fellow alumni on the importance of long-range planning—which makes a tremendous and lasting difference to the College. She spoke about gift annuities and how they are a good way to convert highly appreciated securities into an income stream. She also reviewed the use of maturing bonds or CDs, cash from a low-interest account, or real estate to fund a deferred gift annuity that provides income at a specific time in the future.

In 2002 Joan established the Redmund Platt Scholarship Fund, named after her father. Joan’s charitable trust is now being distributed to the College, directed to further bolster the Redmund Platt Scholarship.

The current recipient of the Platt scholarship is Adismel Santana ’25, an art major from New York City. Adismel says, “My family and I have benefited greatly from the financial aid packages I have been awarded. I doubt that I could have gone away for college or even attended if it weren’t for this opportunity. It was the right choice for me to attend Connecticut College, where I have a lot of support from friends and family and have also benefited greatly from scholarships.”