Meet our Heritage Society Members
Meet our Heritage Society Members
Tony Urbanelli '75
Each of us has personal reasons to give back to Webb, but for many of us graduates, a sense of gratitude for what Webb has given us is the starting basis for our financial support.
An overwhelming number of alumni express this gratitude by contributing to the Annual Fund, and increasingly, alumni are realizing that estate planning is the perfect complement to annual giving.
I learned about Webb by pure happenstance, and my discovery provided me with an interesting and rewarding career. I had the opportunity to be around boats in my early teens and decided I wanted to live on a boat when I grew up. Back in the day when printed directories were the primary way of learning about colleges, I was looking through an index and noticed the name "Webb Institute of Naval Architecture."
Finances were the primary factor in my selection process. My other options were Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Michigan or ROTC at the University of Pennsylvania. It seemed to me Webb was the best choice – "marine stuff " and no tuition.
Through Webb my interest in the marine field grew from boats to an appreciation of the scope and importance of the shipping industry. I am still fascinated that relatively small groups of seafarers guide massive vessels, with millions of dollars of cargo across vast distances and unforgiving waters, to safely deliver what people produce and consume. Except when accidents occur, this vital business remains virtually invisible.
It took a bit of persistence to remain in the marine field my whole career, but I am glad that I did. I worked at the American Bureau of Shipping, John J. McMullen Associates, Mobil Oil Corporation and ExxonMobil Corporation. I had 14 different technical and managerial positions in 35 years, covering naval architecture, computer programming and marine simulation, financial analysis, chartering, ship acquisition and sales, ship operations and maintenance, project development and management, engineering, safety, emergency response, environmental affairs and quality assurance.
My wife Debby and I have been together since our days at Webb, and we have two children. We lived in and around New York; Washington, DC; London; and Houston. We did live on a boat for four years but that predated the kids.
I had an interesting and challenging range of work experiences, and I am so pleased to see how broad the opportunities are for recent graduates. My sense is that Webb provides a solid educational foundation and engenders a sense of practical knowledge that enables its graduates to succeed in so many diverse areas. It also seems to me that recent graduates are much smarter.
There are a number of organizations that are deserving of our financial support because of their mission or influence on our lives, our family or society. However, Webb has always stood out in my mind as unique. The most obvious unique feature of Webb is the full-tuition scholarship that has been made possible by the generosity and foresight of William Webb and subsequent stewardship of his investment for 125+ years. But a key factor in my support of Webb is the noticeable impact any one of us can have on the fortunes and future of the Institute and its students.
I have found what is referred to as a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) useful for annual giving and estate planning. A DAF can be set up at most brokerages and its key features are that:
- the donor gets the charitable tax deduction whenever money or assets are deposited into the account;
- the account grows tax-free through investments of your choosing;
- you get to "advise" the account manager as to what charitable organization(s) you wish to support, along with the amount and timing of those donations; and
- you get to name the beneficiary(ies) of the account. The fourth feature is useful for planned giving.
Support for the Annual Fund is very important, but remembering Webb in your estate planning can have a profound impact on Webb. I encourage everyone to give to the Annual Fund and to also become a member of the Heritage Society. Your support will have a positive impact on the current and future lives of many, as William Webb had in mine and perhaps in yours.