David William Foster

When he was asked why he decided to support the UW, David William Foster said, “Simply because my experience at the UW gave me a life.”

Growing up in a housing project in West Seattle, David believed there wouldn’t be many career paths open to him. But with strong support from counselors and teachers during high school, he found himself at the UW studying Spanish. There he formed a lifelong passion for Latin America and gender studies.

During the ’60s, David earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the UW and, finally, a doctorate in Romance languages and literature. He went on to a long career at Arizona State University, where he both taught as a lecturer and completed groundbreaking research into feminism and gender in Latin America.

Several years ago, David decided to include the UW in his estate plans. After he passed away, his widow, Virginia, worked with the UW Office of Minority Aff airs & Diversity to create a scholarship in his honor. The scholarship will support undergraduate and graduate students who identify as Latinx—a group that has traditionally been underserved in higher education.

Virginia says of David, “He was highly recognized for his work and was awarded numerous honors and awards during his career. The community at large misses him greatly and will always remember him for his enormous intellectual presence, impact on scholarship, generosity and commitment to students.”

Though he taught for 54 years at Arizona State, David never forgot his time at the UW and the support he received. He wanted to ensure that others would have the same kind of support.

“I could never have completed my program of studies without the support and assistance I received, both from the University of Washington and various scholarship sources,” he said. “I vowed to give back when I was in a financial position to do so.”