Tim Mankus '79 knows the value in having a plan. While at SLUH, he earned enough 1818 credits to enter college as a sophomore in status.
"I had to fund my own college, so little did my parents know that they actually paid for my first year while I was in high school," Mankus jokes.
Just four years after high school, Mankus earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Missouri. For the past 26 years, he has worked at Wells Fargo. In 2010, Mankus and his wife, Stephanie, moved to Charlotte, where he currently serves as Director in the company's residential mortgage-backed securities sector.
While distance separates him from his hometown, the former STUCO President still feels close to his alma mater. He keeps in touch with classmates and fondly remembers some of his favorite teachers: Mr. Dunn ("I was one of a long list of his barometers."), Mr. Becvar ("He tolerated us in freshman homeroom, God love him."), and Fr. McCabe ("He spent much of his free time tutoring me in French.").
Mankus, who grew up in St. Anthony of Padua Parish in South City, says attending SLUH was the "best decision from a career and life management perspective I ever made."
"In my finance and capital markets-based career," he continues, "you would think that kudos would go to the SLUH math department, but the reality is that the English department taught me how to write and effectively communicate. This is a huge benefit with the fast pace of my job and the quick-hit nature of today's communication."
Today, Mankus still finds merit in planning.
"Stephanie and I finally addressed the estate-planning process this year," he says. "We're not Buffet and Gates, but we are committed to charitable donation. After hearing me yap so many years about SLUH being one of the pivotal decisions of my life and seeing the finished product through my U. High friends, it was pretty clear where we were going to direct things."
Mankus encourages others to develop an estate plan. "It's good for long-term planning and a huge win to direct your estate to a charity," he says. "For us, it was easy to choose St. Louis U. High because we know the impact it can have."