John Martin Weikart’s Planned Gift Commitment Creates Family Scholarship

John Martin “Marty” Weikart ’66 entered McDonogh as a sophomore in 1963 after his parents allowed him to choose his high school. His mother had worked at the McDonogh-associated summer camps in New York (Red Cloud and Red Wing), and several family members had attended McDonogh—so it was a natural choice. After graduation, Marty went to college, started a career, and never looked back on his McDonogh days until he was encouraged by other members of the Class of 1966 to attend his 50th Reunion.

Reconnecting with classmates over Reunion Weekend 2016 and hearing the ways in which they were supporting McDonogh helped Marty realize the impact the School had on his life, and he started to re-engage. Not being a scholarship student himself, Marty was interested in learning more about the program and requested an invitation to the annual Scholarship Luncheon. He was deeply moved by what he heard; and after several conversations with the School, he decided to set up the Weikart Family Scholarship with an extraordinary planned gift commitment.

“I hope my gift provides tuition help to deserving young men and women. I believe McDonogh does a phenomenal job preparing students for their next adventures in life as well as instilling positive values. I was impressed with the commitment many of my classmates have made to the future of the School, and I needed to be part of the effort. It would be wonderful if more classes and alumni could follow the Class of 1966’s example and help more McDonogh students.”