Estate and Gift Planning

The late Philip J. Whitcome, a member of the Wharton Graduate Class of 1976, has bequeathed $3.8 million to the school to provide endowed financial aid for MBA students. The gift is one of the largest estate gifts for fellowship in Wharton’s history.…Read More

As he neared the completion of his undergraduate engineering degree, John H. Shaw III decided to apply to Wharton’s MBA program to prepare for a career in business. He was worried, though, that a lack of funds would prevent him from attending. “I was ecstatic to learn that not only was I admitted, but that Wharton would also offer me a generous fellowship and loan package.”…Read More

Ken Middleton came to Wharton in the fall of 1965 after active duty in the US Coast Guard and after working in the insurance industry. Upon his graduation from the MBA Program in 1967, Ken joined the Treasurer’s Department of Exxon Corporation and traveled the world. In the back of his mind, though, was a yearning to own his own business. …Read More

Janet Lavine and Rick Williams credit Wharton for many things that have helped them succeed in business and in life—especially for bringing them together. Janet (WG’79) and Rick (W’78, WG’79) met at Wharton and married soon after graduation. After several years working for companies in the New York area, the couple moved to Atlanta where Janet served as treasurer of a leading media conglomerate and where today Rick is senior executive of a major insurance and asset management firm.…Read More

Nancy Crabbe grew up in St. Louis but has lived most of her life in northern New Jersey. She married soon after high school and postponed college while raising three children. As time and family allowed, she took college courses at a number of institutions and earned her degree from Thomas Edison State College.…Read More

Shaun O’Malley comes from a large family of three brothers and four sisters. To attend Wharton in the 1950s, he knew he would need financial help. After one semester at Penn, the cost of his education became a real challenge, so he entered the military draft and served two years in the U.S. Army. The benefits he received from the G.I. Bill enabled him to come back to Wharton for his undergraduate degree. After graduating in 1959, Shaun embarked on a long and successful career in the accounting profession.…Read More

Bill Runner understands first-hand the importance of financial aid, and the impact that one person can have on an education. He attended the Wharton Evening School on the GI Bill, where he developed a close relationship with the School’s Director, Dr. William Hockenberry, W’20, G’23–to whom he attributes much of his success. Bill explains: “Dr. Hockenberry saw me as a challenge, and he loved a good challenge. He’d say, ’You pick a course, and I’ll pick a course.’” And they did. …Read More

For Joel Post, WG’95, the timing was just right. In reflecting upon the institutions that have made a difference in his life—and helped him to succeed—Wharton emerged near the top of a “pretty short list,” he says. That made it an easy decision to include the School in his estate plans. Not one to wait, Joel says, “While this is planning that’s often done later in life, now is the time to do it.”…Read More

As a high school student, I chose Penn for the uniqueness of its Management & Technology dual-degree program. There was no other program in the country which could compare with it and the opportunity and flexibility to pursue inter-disciplinary learning was phenomenal. …Read More