Donna Seto-Young and Kiang Chuen “K.C.” Young

One of the most significant gifts that Darwin College received in recent years is from the estate of 1209 Society member Donna Seto-Young (Darwin 1977) and her husband Kiang Chuen “K.C.” Young. Donna, a respected endocrinology researcher and professor, attended Darwin for her PhD in biochemistry from 1977 to 1979.

The couple lived in New York, both working in the sciences. Donna was director of endocrinology at Beth Israel Medical Center and K.C. a much-loved professor of physics at several New York-area colleges, among the pair’s many academic and research pursuits. While they have family throughout the world, they had no children; when they passed away, Donna in 2016 and K.C. in 2017, they left a large part of their estate to Cambridge in America for Darwin College, through a bequest they had in place.

Specifically, their planned gift both provides resources for unrestricted support at the College and for a postgraduate studentship in the biological sciences in honor of Donna’s supervisor, Professor David Ellar, a long-serving Fellow at Gonville & Caius, with whom she was close.

Donna Seto-Young and K.C. Young’s estate gift came in over a period of years, starting in 2018 with the last distribution received in 2021. Rather than waiting for the gift to be complete, the College decided to start the studentship right away. Not only did this mean that the impact of the gift would be felt sooner, but it also gave the College the opportunity to recognize and celebrate Professor Ellar. “Starting the studentship immediately was the right choice,” said Samuel Venn, Development Director of Darwin College. “Professor Ellar was a favorite among his students, and beginning this named studentship early allowed us to recognize his work during his lifetime.” Professor Ellar himself passed away in May 2020.

Darwin is also committed not only to seeing through the impact of the gift, but also making sure that Donna and K.C. are properly recognized for their support. With several new and exciting building projects proposed for the future, Venn is sure that there will be an opportunity: “Whether it’s in the form of naming a room, or a plaque, or something else, we will be sure that that Donna and K.C. themselves will be recognized for their generosity.”