A Family Tradition - Jan Linhart ’75

Jan Linhart and Family

A Family Tradition - Jan Linhart ’75

Jan Linhart, a member of Bowdoin’s Class of 1975, came to Bowdoin by way of Czechoslovakia. Born in Prague, he moved at the age of 13 to Brooklyn, New York, his family escaping communism. At Bowdoin, he was a Biochemistry-Russian double major, active in Bowdoin’s Big Brother-Big Sister Program, and played hockey, lacrosse and squash. In his spare time, he was a member of the Kamerling Society (a student chemistry group) and, with two other students, produced a motion picture which was nominated for 1975 Best Film Award by the Bowdoin Student Film Society. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was a financial aid recipient.

From Brunswick, Jan traveled south to New York City, where he received his D.D.S. degree from New York University in 1979. During dental school, Jan established the habit of gifts to the Alumni Fund with $5.00 gifts from his graduate school budget. He went on to create what has become a very successful Park Avenue dental practice, and commutes into Manhattan from his home in Westchester County.

Jan and his wife, Ellen, were thrilled when their sons Alexander and then Zachary followed in Jan’s footsteps by attending Bowdoin. Alex and Zach are in the Classes of 2006 and 2007, respectively. In celebration of their children’s decision to attend Bowdoin, Jan and Ellen recently established the Linhart Family Scholarship Fund.

“I know how important the financial aid endowment is to making it possible for the most capable students, regardless of their ability to pay fully, to attend a school of Bowdoin’s caliber,” says Jan. “Ellen and I are delighted to do this and expect that as time goes by Alex and Zach will support the Fund in what we hope will become a family tradition.”

For information about establishing scholarships, or making bequests or life income gifts, please call Kristen Farnham, Martin Hayden or Steve Hyde at (207) 725-3263 or visit the Support Bowdoin web site.

Story posted on June 30, 2005

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