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“If there’s one thing I want to pass on to my family, my employees, and my friends, it’s how to be satisfied. Be satisfied with your spouse, your kids, your job, where you live. Then you can give back.”
That’s how Leonard Corso described his life. Those simple words guided the philanthropic spirit that radiated from him. Mr. Corso gave back to his family, his friends and his community in Fort Salonga, New York. His sons, Glenn and Robert, who help run the family business, and daughter Janice supported their father in his desire to make a difference.
During his lifetime, Mr. Corso made significant gifts to Joslin Diabetes Center in exchange for lifetime payments—charitable gift annuities. When asked why he chose Joslin, Mr. Corso explained that Joslin Diabetes Center is on “the leading edge of research to find answers to prevent and cure diabetes. Most importantly, it shares its wealth of knowledge.”
Mr. Corso and his late wife Marjorie knew what it meant to share knowledge. He invented a device and started a manufacturing plant that led to the first angiogram. When offered the patent and its royalties for his invention in 1958, he and his wife declined them. It was more important to share this diagnostic tool. Now used in hospitals around the world, this technology has given the gift of life to countless children and adults.
Through Joslin’s charitable gift annuities, Mr. Corso was able to make a gift and receive an income for life. He donated cash to Joslin Diabetes Center in exchange for fixed lifetime payments based on his age. More than half of his annuity payments were tax-free. He also received a significant income tax deduction. The proceeds from Mr. Corso's gifts continue to support Joslin’s research after his death, allowing his legacy of giving to carry on.
Mr. Corso, like many Joslin friends, was more than satisfied with his Joslin gift annuities—so much so that he established four of them. Through Mr. and Mrs. Corso's ethic of sharing, these gifts are helping to conquer diabetes.
We regret to note that Leonard Corso passed away
on July 19, 2008, at the age of 83.
To learn more about charitable gift annuities, please click here. | 
