Beloved Former Registrar Leaves Estate Gift for Endowed Scholarship

By Ann Harrington

Joyce Traynor, a former registrar and administrative assistant to the dean at Hamline University School of Law, was known for her fun, friendly personality and the M&M dispenser she kept on the counter of the registrar's office. But her dedication to the school ran deep—when she died last year at 75, she left a $150,000 gift from her estate that was added to her endowed scholarship.

A former legal secretary, Joyce first came to Hamline Law in 1990 as executive assistant to Dean George Latimer, the former mayor of St. Paul, and then worked for former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Sheran when he served as interim dean. In 1995, with some reluctance, she became registrar, succeeding her good friend Shelley Harker. She soon made the job her own.

"She was beloved by the students. She knew them all by name," says Mitchell Hamline Professor Ed Butterfoss, who worked closely with Joyce as associate dean, and later dean.

"You never saw Joyce without a smile on her face," Shelley says. "She was no pushover. She was very real. She wasn't phony. If you were screwing up, she was not afraid to let you know."

And as a recovering alcoholic, "She could spot a student in trouble a mile away," Ed says. "She saved I don't know how many students, because she spotted them early."

That care and concern were returned when Joyce was seriously injured in a car accident leaving the school in 1998. "The students were really upset," Ed recalls. "If meals had to be delivered, they would do it for Joyce."

A few years later, Joyce was diagnosed with macular degeneration. She was afraid she would lose her job, Shelley says, but with the support of her colleagues, some accommodations and the help of experimental treatments, she persevered.

At her retirement in 2006, a former student, Brian Geis '02, helped establish the Joyce A. Traynor Endowed Scholarship Fund to honor her and benefit students with disabilities, in appreciation for the way she helped him succeed in law school and beyond.

Joyce's generous gift will increase the impact of her endowed fund substantially, according to Jason Zotalis, senior development officer at Mitchell Hamline. Endowed funds like hers are critically important, he says, because they help the school weather all sorts of financial ups and downs, such as economic or enrollment changes. And in a competitive market, Jason adds, "the more endowed scholarships you can award, the better students you're going to be able to attract."

Although Joyce had "tons of friends," Shelley says, she never married, and had no children, so Hamline was like a family to her.

Former colleague Judge James Morrow '78, a Mitchell Hamline faculty member, was surprised at the size of Joyce's gift, but not at the impulse to give back. A longtime recovering alcoholic himself, he says most people in recovery, like Joyce, are grateful, "because we know other people have helped us, or we wouldn't have made it."

 

Scholarship endowments make up 70% of donor endowments at Mitchell Hamline. This year the school and students benefited from nearly $750,000 in endowment earnings made available for student scholarships. If you would like to know more about how you can make an impact like Joyce Traynor, please reach out to Leslie A. Wright at 651-290-6355 or leslie.wright@mitchellhamline.edu.