Donor Spotlight

My father became interested in family history when he retired in 1981 because he never knew his mother who died from tuberculosis when he was four.

I became active in NGS about twenty-five years ago. I quickly learned that family history was more than filling in a family tree; genealogy meant discovering the lives of our ancestors. In fact, I love a “brick wall” because it encourages me to dig deeper, to flesh out all the members of the family, to visit the places they lived, and explore the history of the world in which they lived. 

My husband and I do not have children, so we dedicated a portion of our estate to the universities we attended, our church, and other non-profits that have been important to us during our retirement. 

NGS is one of our chosen beneficiaries. My legacy allows the NGS Quarterly, NGS educational programs, and conferences to provide vital tools for those discovering their ancestors’ lives and overcoming the “brick walls” in their family history research projects. — Jan Alpert, past NGS President