By LORI BIERLY

The Juilliard School has received an extremely generous bequest from the estate of Janet N. Kramer, a longtime contributor to the School who died in March 2004. During her lifetime, Mrs. Kramer was a frequent presence at Juilliard performances and was a member of the Juilliard Association and later the Ovation Society. Although her presence will be missed, her legacy will endure at Juilliard through the generations of students and audience members who will benefit from her generosity.

Donors Janet and Leonard Kramer in October 1978.

Because her bequest was given to Juilliard without restriction, the School was able to direct Mrs. Kramer's gift to several important areas. The bequest will be used to fund doctoral teaching assistantships, creating a permanently endowed fund in her name; the Juilliard Performance Fund, supporting public concerts given by Juilliard at Lincoln Center; and Juilliard's Second Century Fund, where it will help to advance a number of initiatives that will shape the School's future.

Janet Kramer and her husband Leonard (who died in June 2001) were neighborhood residents, and their proximity to Lincoln Center allowed them to be regular concertgoers. Opera performances were a particular favorite of Mrs. Kramer and she was fond of following the careers of emerging artists at Juilliard.

During his lifetime, Leonard Kramer was an attorney with William Morris, the talent and literary agency, and was one of the first lawyers to specialize in contracts for actors on television. Mrs. Kramer was also employed by William Morris, and served for many years as the executive assistant to one of the heads of the agency. She was an avid bridge player and sports enthusiast, but "her two great loves were Juilliard and Central Park," according to Lois Florman, the executor of the estate. It is fitting that she chose to divide her estate between The Juilliard School and the Central Park Conservancy.

In recognition of Mrs. Kramer's generosity, the Juilliard box office will be renamed the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office. The box office is scheduled to be renovated and relocated as part of the redevelopment of the Juilliard building and the Lincoln Center campus. It will be prominently situated near the new street-level entrance to Juilliard on West 65th Street. The Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office is expected to open in its new location in the spring of 2008.

Unrestricted gifts, where the use of the funds is left up to the discretion of administrators and trustees, are particularly helpful for the School as they can be directed to the most pressing needs at any given time. Mrs. Kramer's foresight and extraordinary support will benefit young artists for many years, and The Juilliard School is profoundly grateful for this remarkable gift.

Lori Bierly is associate director of major and planned gifts in the Development Office.