Ottingers Support McDonogh’s “Greatest Resource” with Life Insurance Policy

Marc ’76 and Libet Ottinger believe in the power of a McDonogh education, which is why their estate plan includes the gift of a life insurance policy that will assist future students, faculty, and staff.

Libet was first introduced to McDonogh as a babysitter for a three-generation McDonogh family. Later, as a college admissions officer from Bucknell University, she visited campus often and saw how uniquely special the School was. In 1986 when a position in the college counseling office opened, she jumped at the chance to become a part of the McDonogh Family. The same week that Libet received the job offer, her boyfriend Marc, a McDonogh alum, proposed. Accepting both the job and the proposal proved to be great decisions.

Over the next 38 years, Libet helped guide and inspire thousands of students as a college counselor and class dean. Her roles included everything from advisor to the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Leaders and Black Awareness Club to cheerleading coach and chaperone for multiple Concert Choir trips abroad. Not only was Libet an indispensable staff member, but she and Marc are also the proud parents of two McDonogh alumni.

Their belief in the value of a McDonogh education inspired the couple to create the Ottinger Family Scholarship, which will provide financial support for the children of faculty and staff. “My colleagues are some of the most remarkable people I’ve known,” Libet says. “As the Board of Trustees has frequently commented over the years, our faculty and staff are McDonogh’s greatest resource. Creating a scholarship to support the children of this amazing resource was a ‘no brainer.’ ”

Libet continues, “I’ve been blown away by the high level of teaching and the equally high level of encouragement found in McDonogh’s classrooms, studios, and fields. In a community of support and opportunity, students are encouraged to believe that anything is possible.”

The Ottinger’s generous gift will benefit faculty and staff families for generations to come.