Bill Bollwerk with his family
In an annual Christmas message, Bill Bollwerk ’54 once shared this reflection: “I remind myself frequently that I feel like a rich man without a lot of money, blessed with good health, loving children and grandchildren, a challenging and fulfilling job, a wonderful place to worship, special relationships and more than my fair share of good friends.”
Bill’s family is the first to tell you about his deep generosity—in time, talent and treasure. His love of people, deep sense of faith, concern for community and thoughtful generosity brought him many friends and also made him an incredible role model to those who knew him.
Many years ago, Bill’s daughter Karen Burke and her husband Bill created a charitable remainder trust (CRT) that would benefit Bill and the charities he loved. They chose the CRT because it would offer him “a vehicle through which to be financially generous with others while also working to provide him with a modest supplemental income to relieve any financial burden he might feel living on limited resources.”
Bill’s daughter saw the opportunity for him to have a steady stream of income in his final years and the remainder could be used to establish scholarships in his honor at SLUH and Saint Louis University, and other organizations he held close to his heart.
“My father had always wished he could have been more philanthropic,” says Karen. “He would purchase a lottery ticket once a week and let us know that if he won he would look forward to being a philanthropist.”
“Sitting down with my father many years earlier to decide where the remaining money would go upon his death was an incredibly joyful and fulfilling experience for both of us.”
Bill’s Jesuit education was so central to his identity that he would often introduce himself as a “Jesuit-educated, Vatican II spirited Catholic.” Bill deeply valued the Jesuit values, friendships and athletic opportunities that St. Louis University High School afforded him. His father passed away when he was just 16, and Bill often remarked how very grateful he was to the SLUH community for supporting him and keeping him going.
After Bill passed away, the remainder of the CRT was distributed, and Karen and her husband decided to make an additional donation in order to reach the amount necessary for SLUH to create the William J. Bollwerk ’54 partially endowed scholarship.
Karen reflects, “I made this decision because I knew how much he loved SLUH and his hope was to be able to have an endowed scholarship set up. While I will never be able to repay him for all he gave me over the years, I am extremely grateful to be able to do this in his memory.”
The spirit of generosity that lived in Bill’s heart now endures at St. Louis University High School, thanks to his family.