Paying it Forward for Women's Athletics: Liz Yager '79 Builds a Legacy

When Liz Yager '79 arrived at Union in the fall of 1975, women's sports were just starting to take shape-and she dove in headfirst. A four-sport athlete and true trailblazer, Liz played basketball, volleyball, and softball throughout her college years, adding ice hockey to her repertoire as a senior.

"I wanted a well-rounded education, and Union just felt like the right fit," Liz said. "The chance to play sports was a bonus."

Growing up in a small town in the Hudson Valley, Liz was the first in her family to attend college. She came to Union to study pre-med within a liberal arts framework, but she found much more than academics. Her teammates became her support system-and eventually, her inspiration for giving back.

Recently, Liz and her wife, Stephanie Puentes, decided to include Union in their estate plans, creating an endowed fund specifically to support women's athletics.

"Diana Gazzolo '78 told me about her estate plans when I asked her about her membership in the Ramee Circle Society at Union," Liz said. "That conversation got me thinking about the most important part of my experience at Union."

"Stephanie and I support the College every year, but at the end of our lives, we have planned for Union to receive a significant gift from our estate," she continued. "Who better to give the proceeds of our lives' efforts to than young people?"

Liz returns to campus for ReUnion every year, too, and not just for nostalgia, but for the friendships that carried her through.

"Without my teammates, I wouldn't have made it at Union," Liz recalled. "My teammates simply made my experience here."

"I want to encourage alumnae to give back to the College in support of women's athletics. It's time for us to create a legacy that will sustain these programs," she added. "We were the first and we benefited tremendously. Now, it's up to us to make sure future women-athletes have the same chances."

Stephanie, who met Liz when they were both working at Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, California, fully supports the decision.

"I've seen Liz throughout her different career opportunities and know that she credits Union for making her the person that she is professionally," Stephanie said. "I didn't know Liz in college, but I know that she feels that she grew into adulthood while she was at Union."

Indeed, Liz was shaped by many Union experiences, including her time as founding president of the College's Delta Gamma chapter.

"The culture of Union College is that we all walk to a different drum beat, and that's a good thing. Our sorority was based on inclusion," Liz said. "If you wanted to join, you were in, and that was simply a core principle - regardless of anything. That is very much in line with what Union College was in my time and what it still is."

Though Liz ultimately pursued a career in tech, not medicine, her favorite professors were also formative.

"Carl George, he was this tall guy with these dark horn-rimmed glasses, just full of joy for science and teaching. He loved us and he wanted us to love learning," she said. "And Elizabeth Mansfield, she was edgy in such a good way. She taught classes like 'Psychology of the Presidency' and 'History of Women in America.' She and Carl both left a mark on me."

After graduation, Liz continued to be a trailblazer, paving the way at Hewlett Packard for domestic partner benefits. She took a lot of heat for pushing for equal rights on this front, but ultimately Hewlett Packard became - in 1996 - one of the first global high-tech companies in Silicon Valley to adopt domestic partner benefits.

From sports pioneer to tech advocate to philanthropic leader, Liz has never stopped pushing boundaries. Through her estate plans and constant engagement on campus, she's making sure the next generation of women athletes can keep pushing, too.

Since 2019, Liz has helped organize speaker panels, round-table discussions and networking events, connecting students with alumnae who laid the foundation for women's sports.

"I realized that unless alumnae are talking to students, they might not see how much of an impact they can have," Liz explained. "Now, we have an annual gathering to build these relationships and create a cycle of support and sustainability."

"All alumni can make sure that future Union students thrive from experiences similar to those we had. Your gift doesn't have to be generic," she added. "It can have real meaning for you."