U.S. Ski & Snowboard Legacy Society Members

James and Janet Benedict

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team is the only team on the World Cup Tour that is not funded by its national government. As a result, planned gifts are a potential “game-changer” for the U.S. SKi & Snowboard Team. Our Planned Giving program has the potential to provide sufficient endowment to fully fund for the first time all aspects of the Team’s operations. This includes travel, training, coaching, housing, scholarships, and career counseling for all U.S. SKi & Snowboard Team athletes.

As a longtime skiing enthusiast, I wanted to be a part of this effort. I have, therefore, generously provided for the U.S. SKi & Snowboard Team in my will. I hope you will do so as well.

Jim Benedict
Trustee, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Foundation

Greg and Marian Boester

The planned giving program at USS provides an excellent opportunity to facilitate long-term support of an organization that aspires to help our athletes realize their potential and strive to achieve their athletic goals of being the best in the world. From the initial smiles and joy that accompany a young person’s delight on skis or a snowboard early in their career, to similar smiles that adorn the medal winner’s face on the Olympic podium, USS provides support and programming on myriad fronts along the way. Provisioning for the resources needed on these fronts requires long-term commitments and consistent support. The USS planned giving program will play a meaningful part of the resources needed to ensure that tomorrow’s athletes will have the support needed to pursue and achieve their dreams, and I am proud to have the opportunity to be a part of it.

Robert D. Culver

Robert “Bob” D. Culver graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland (1970), and completed his post graduate work at George Washington University, Syn-Aud-Con and elsewhere. He is a retired partner of the Consulting Engineering firm of Lohnes & Culver. He is a past board member and past president of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, both the engineering and the scholarship boards. He was a professional registered engineer in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. He provided technical representation and expert testimony for broadcast and technology companies, conducted tutorials, presented technical papers, and contributed articles to the technical press on numerous occasions. His most recent engineering work was in the development of Digital Radio Broadcasting (DRB), Digital Television (DTV) and related projects and groups including: CCIR Task Group 10/2, EIA-CEG Digital Audio Radio (DAR) Subcommittee, WG-A, WG-B, project engineer of the DAR system field testing and author of the EIA-NRSC Field Test Plan.

Bob and his wife, Cathy, have been married for more than 40 years and live in Jackson, Wyoming where he is active in local political and service projects. Their leisure activities include alpine skiing, mountain hiking and the shooting sports.

Darryl Landstrom

I grew up in Duluth, Minn., and participated in Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined during my youth. This experience taught me valuable life lessons about the importance snow sport, competitions and personal relationships I developed with coaches, athletes and parents. However, being a competitor also required time management necessary to allow me to have time to study, practice, attend competitions and participate in social activities. These skills continue to apply to my family and business today as an adult, and I have my experience in snow sport to thank for this.

I was also fortunate to have a son that embraced alpine ski racing at a very young age. There are many fond memories of the fraternity of families that traveled together every weekend to support their athletes as parents and volunteers. This experience allowed me to engage in a leadership role in the Central Division, Rocky/Central Region and ultimately the Alpine Sport Committee as chair and board representative. Snow sport has always been a passion of mine and the planned giving commitment is my personal “thank you” to the sport I love.

Kipp Nelson

U.S. SKi & Snowboard trustee Kipp Nelson is one of the generous individuals who has committed a portion of his estate to help us achieve our ambitious planned giving goal. In Kipp's own words:

"Skiing and ski racing was a meaningful enough part of my life that about 15 years ago I put a small percentage of my estate towards U.S. SKi & Snowboard and also my local ski club. We all have a healthy concern for how well non-profits allocate money, and seeing the whole thing from the inside, I think U.S. SKi & Snowboard has done a pretty good job of that over the years. So, what really pushes me towards including this in my will is that these athletes do it for the pure love of the sport, probably injure their future careers in doing so, and almost always their bodies along the way. Despite this, most of the athletes never seem entitled, and are always grateful."

John and Marree Townsend

John and Marree Townsend are a couple who want to make a difference. A big difference. Whether it's in academics, medicine, arts and culture, or sports, the Townsends give with intent and meaning in a way that upholds their core values. When asked about inspiration and the joy of giving, John said, "Doing it [giving] is very liberating and easier than you thought it would be. All the reasons for not doing something seemed less important than they did previously. There are a lot of unanticipated benefits where you don't necessarily want the publicity that goes along with it, but if it inspires others to do more and think positively about philanthropy then maybe others with even greater means could do something more significant than what they had planned on doing."

John and Maree's generosity extends to many organizations, including U.S. SKi & Snowboard. They have supported our organization for more than 20 years and have committed to a planned gift. John came to be involved with U.S. SKi & Snowboard and serves as a trustee through friends who were already serving on the board. "They saw how enthusiastic I was and thought I'd enjoy getting involved," John said. When asked about his passion for skiing, John said it's something he came to later in life. "I didn't ski as a kid. I became passionate about it in my mid-30s when we were raising a family. We thought it would be a great family sport. We came to Utah for a couple of holidays, got a lot of instruction, and it evolved from there. Now I've spent much of the last 25 years skiing and it has developed a lot of friendships." U.S. SKi & Snowboard is incredibly grateful for the Townsends' generosity, and their passion for our athletes and our organization.

Dwight William Wait

Dr. Dwight “Kip” William Wait, III passed away on April 16, 2023, in Charlotte, NC. The son of Dwight W. Wait, Jr. and Virginia “Ginnie” Lee Adair, Kip was born Sept 16, 1945, in Denver CO. He attended Shayler High school in Glenshaw PA. His career goal however was set from a young age. He knew by middle school he wanted to be a physician and this goal never wavered. Kip was an excellent and dedicated student, always sitting in the front row whenever possible. He attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for eight years, was the youngest President of the Epsilon Delta and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his B.A. in Chemistry in 1967 followed by his M.D. degree in 1972.

Following the completion of his medical degree, Kip completed a one-year internship at University of Alabama Birmingham and a three-year residency at Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Atrium Health) in 1978. He began his emergency room practice at Mercy Hospital in 1980, serving as chairman of the department for many years. He later served as Medical Director of Randolph Clinic (now Anuvia), Amethyst, McLeod Center, and several other substance abuse programs. His love of learning inspired him to become board certified in Addiction Medicine. He was known for his compassionate care, working with thousands of clients suffering from the stigma and disease of addiction.

Kip’s prodigious allegiance to his beloved alma mater was obvious in multiple ways. He encouraged the children of friends and neighbors to seriously consider applying to UNC, took multiple annual trips to the UNC campus, supported the university through his financial contributions, and was an avid Tarheel basketball fan (even in a bad season).

Many knew him as a Porsche aficionado, who sequentially owned nine 911’s, but always hoped to find the perfect #10. He loved a good martini, fine food and clothes shopping. He adored traveling with his wife, Jeanette, especially to anywhere with sand and salt water. He loved Snoopy and was nicknamed “The Snoopy Doctor” by Charles Schultz. Above all, he was the kindest of men, a loyal friend, a loving husband, and a physician who dedicated his life to helping others.