When Brad Scott ’70 learned Julianne Puente had been named the head of school for Albuquerque Academy in 2019, he was pleased that his top choice would be taking the reins.
Brad had accepted the school’s invitation to get involved in the head-of-school selection process and felt strongly that it was time for the Academy to be led by a woman. After attending each candidate’s presentation, “I came home and I said, ‘You know, they’re all fantastic,’ but I said Julianne was a standout. She really was.” At the bottom of the evaluation he completed, Brad wrote that it was time for Chargers to have a female head of school. Otherwise, he says, “it’s not the real world. I think [the search committee] made the right choice, and I hope she stays a long time.”
He has not been disappointed by the changes he’s seen on campus since and the energy those changes have brought. In fact, Brad and his wife Diane recently set up a $2 million estate gift to the Academy after spending time with Julianne this past school year to learn more about the future she has in mind for his alma mater.
“I was just very impressed with her and the vision that she had for the school, in her past experiences,” Brad says. Conversations with Julianne and Director of Advancement Joe Weiss, ranging from how to increase philanthropic support from alumni to stories about Brad’s time at the Academy, helped them decide it was time to move beyond making standard donations a few times a year. “Diane and I had talked many times about doing something to make it possible for a student to go to school here who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity.”
Diane, who did not attend a private school, said she’s been very impressed by the passion she’s seen during these interactions. “That’s what really got me interested in finding a way to support the Academy.”
To be honest, Brad initially wasn’t enthusiastic about attending the Academy himself. Coming in as a ninth grader in 1966, he’d already established a friend group elsewhere and was happy enough to be heading to Highland High School. But his father, who had been involved in planning the Academy’s move from Edith Street to the current Wyoming campus, wanted to see Brad push himself a little harder academically and made him take the entrance exam.
His reservations didn’t last long, he says. “It took one week, and I loved it.” Brad attributes the abrupt turnaround to the dedication of teachers who really challenged him, including Doc Harrington, Eduardo Cabiedes, Ken Brown, James Batchelor, Harry Herder, William Suchland, and Jesus Castaneda. “The teaching staff was small, and there was a lot of one-on-one attention.”
Albuquerque Academy was still a boys school when he attended, Brad says, so some of his favorite memories were of antics that probably wouldn’t fly today. “I’ll never forget building the sign out in front of campus,” he says. “That was our gift to the school. I can’t remember how long it took, but I remember it was hotter than hell out there. To celebrate finishing it, we took [fellow classmate] Armando Garcia’s Volkswagen and put it into the fountain in front of the administration building.”
Through his classes and activities like cross country, astronomy club, and yearbook, Brad says, the biggest lesson he took from his time at the Academy is that hard work produces results. “That’s why I was here. That’s why my dad sent me.” He also appreciates that he learned to think independently and make decisions.
He continued his education at UNM, where he studied marketing and Spanish, and then he and Diane, married for 40 years, had lifelong careers at Coca-Cola and PNM, respectively. They both retired close to two decades ago and have since enjoyed traveling, golf, concerts, and their golden retrievers.
“We have no children, so we had been looking around, trying to decide what we wanted to do with our assets when we’re gone,” Brad says. Galvanized by Julianne’s leadership and with guidance about gift-giving options from Joe, he and Diane hope their $2 million estate gift will inspire other alumni to join them in ensuring that an Academy education continues to be among the very best and is accessible to young people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. “Hopefully people will see that we donated and come to the table, too.
“I’ve noticed over the years that my class, in particular, was not as involved as it could be,” Brad says. He encourages alumni from his era to learn more about today’s Academy to find out what’s changed (besides the introduction of girls, many more female teachers than in his day, and the first female head of school), what’s in store for the future, and how they can be part of supporting it. “I felt there was a real open-door policy,” Brad says about meeting with Julianne. “We talked a lot. That makes a big difference for an alum who’s not been active and wants to be.”
Making an Estate Gift to Albuquerque Academy
You can designate the Academy as a beneficiary in your will or estate plan. This is a meaningful way to ensure that future generations of Chargers can benefit from the same benefits of an Academy education that you or your family member received.
The many options include:
- Naming the Academy as a beneficiary of your will or trust
- Adding the Academy as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy, brokerage accounts, or retirement accounts
- Setting up a charitable annuity that could provide you with a steady stream of income for life
- Gifting items of value, such as property, jewelry, or art
- And gifting appreciated stock, which helps avoid capital gain taxes.
In addition, people age 70½ or older may move money from their IRA account directly to the Academy, tax-free, through a qualified charitable distribution.
Most charitable estate gifts are non-binding, meaning that you can make changes in the future.
Please email the advancement office if you are interested in learning more about these options.
