Leave A Legacy

Point would like to acknowledge the generous gift of over $3 million bequeathed in the will of the late Dr. Walter M. Decker, a courageous supporter of the organization who died in 2004. Dr. Decker was an accomplished radiologist and was compelled and inspired by the example of Point Scholars who, in the face of discrimination, had the courage to honestly present themselves in the world. Until late in his life, Dr. Decker did not feel the freedom to do the same. In supporting Point Foundation, he felt strongly that he could help young people overcome the prejudice and discrimination that he feared at the same age in his life. In his experience, education was transformative, and he believed that his support of Point Foundation would help improve the lives of others by providing access to education and other opportunities.

His support has incredibly impacted Point and through his generous donation, John Downey Jr., Point Scholar of the 2004 class, was awarded the first Walter M. Decker Point Scholarship. Like Dr. Decker, John Downey Jr. is a student of medicine, and is currently specializing in diagnostic imagine at Sanford University School of Medicine. John Downey Jr. was awarded a Masters in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health last year, and is currently working at Sanford with the LGBT group and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to increase queer content in the medical curriculum taught to all students. Throughout his impressive career, John Downey Jr. has been able to live the freedom that Dr. Walker M. Decker had imagined for LGBT students, and Point Foundation is proud to continue the legacy of Dr. Decker’s vision with his named scholarship.