St. Mary’s College of Maryland today announced a gift totaling $40,000 from L. Gordon Croft, of Croft-Leominster, Inc. The gift, Croft’s second to St. Mary’s College, will support archaeological research in the Port Tobacco area in Charles County, Maryland.
The research, to be led by St. Mary’s College Professor of Anthropology Julia King along with her undergraduate students, will begin in the spring of 2016.
Speaking of Croft’s gift, King said, “Through his generous contribution, Mr. Croft is helping St. Mary’s College students perform research in the context of both classroom learning and hands-on experience. Charles County has some of the richest history in the state, stories that we can all learn from. We are thankful to Mr. Croft for making this research possible.”
Croft, a Port Tobacco native who now resides in Baltimore with his wife, Jane, is an advocate of students’ education, especially those from Charles County. He has bequeathed several endowed scholarships that benefit county students attending colleges and universities across the country, and has provided non-monetary gifts such as laptops to local elementary and middle schools.
Croft is vice president and director of Croft-Leominster, Inc., a Baltimore-based investment advisory firm. He co-founded the firm with his son Kent Croft in 1989.