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Meet Our Donors - Ralph Weaver, M.D., C’41, M’44

When Ralph Weaver, M.D., C’41, M’44, recalls his days as a Penn Med student, he thinks of his teachers first. "I enjoyed every day of medical school because I learned something every day," he says. Weaver never passes up the chance to reaffirm his belief in the enduring quality of his alma mater: He makes the 325-mile drive from his summer home in Butler, Pa., every year to attend the medical school’s Alumni Weekend. As in his student days, he’s eager to learn something new on every visit.

Recently, Weaver has been teaching a lesson of his own. In 1990, Weaver and his late wife Sallie established the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Research Chair in Medicine. Last July, he provided the school with a charitable gift annuity, creating the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Scholarship Fund. "My successful practice started with Penn," he says. "And now I’m returning the favor."

Weaver says the inspiration for these gifts is never far from his mind. "I had some very great teachers there; they made me a good doctor. I wish they could see me repay their efforts and know what they have meant to me." He singles out Dale Rex Coman, M.D., a pathology professor (and pioneer in the study of the mechanism of cancer metastasis) who played a crucial role in the development of Weaver’s career. Impressed with both Coman and the field of pathology, Weaver abandoned his original plan to go into pulmonary disease. He went on to a successful 50-year career as a clinical pathologist, including appointments as director of laboratories at Butler County Memorial Hospital, trustee of the Butler Health System, and president of a Pennsylvania laboratory supply corporation.

Weaver’s devoted service to his alma mater includes volunteering on the National Alumni Council, which played an important role in the Creating the Future of Medicine Campaign. Weaver’s particular interest was raising the profile of charitable gift annuities.

In addition to obtaining a generous income tax deduction, Weaver will receive a lifetime income stream from his charitable gift annuity. His planned gift is just one of the creative gift opportunities that would benefit both the School of Medicine and its alumni.