/f/78141/6144x4088/1d3929da3c/120525-8075.jpg)
An alum’s gift for giving inspires him to remember Stanford in his estate plans
A Stanford Award of Merit honoree makes planned gifts to generate income for life and to benefit Stanford in the future
When Bill Pegram, ’73, MBA ’77, first arrived at Stanford in the fall of 1969, undergraduate degrees in computer science didn’t exist—so he created his own. He included linguistics and philosophy classes in his self-designed major, and although his proposal was rejected twice, his persistence paid off. He graduated with one of Stanford’s first bachelor’s degrees in computer science. After working for a year in Washington, DC, he returned to California to secure his master of business administration degree from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1977. Five years later, Bill’s interest in economics pushed him to pursue his master’s degree and doctorate in social science from Caltech.
Keeping his Cardinal connections
Through the decades, Bill has remained connected to Stanford, attending practically all of his undergraduate and business school reunions, making annual gifts, and volunteering for more than 30 years with his local alumni club, the Washington DC Stanford Association. In recognition of his significant volunteer service, he has been twice honored with the Stanford Award of Merit, first in 2000 and again in 2004. He also fondly recalls attending Stanford Club of Los Angeles events during his Caltech days, which included a movie event with alum Sigourney Weaver, ’72, and horse races at Santa Anita Park.
/f/78141/440x400/27075a3696/bill-pegram.jpg)
Bill Pegram ’73, MBA ’77 has arranged to support the university with life income gifts.
The benefits of giving—and receiving
Bill had already named Stanford as a beneficiary of a retirement account and commercial annuity when he learned that he could support the university with charitable life income gifts and charitable gifts from his IRA during a 50th reunion fundraising call. After considering the tax benefits and potential annual payments, Bill established a charitable gift annuity with a qualified charitable distribution from his IRA and, later, a charitable remainder unitrust with appreciated stock. These vehicles will provide him with an income stream for life. Upon his passing, the remaining funds will go to support Stanford causes most meaningful to him—undergraduate education, the Graduate School of Business, and the Hoover Institution.
After considering the tax benefits and potential annual payments, Bill established a charitable gift annuity with a qualified charitable distribution from his IRA and, later, a charitable remainder unitrust with appreciated stock.
Back to the beginning
Bill’s career spanned more than 16 years at government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Defense, and NASA, and in 2000, he decided once again to return to the classroom—not as a student, but as an instructor. Today, he is adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College, where he teaches programming.
As a Stanford Outreach Volunteer Alumni Link ambassador over the past decade, Bill has met with around 100 prospective undergraduates to answer their questions and to share his Stanford experience. He encourages today’s students to take advantage of all that Stanford has to offer and to pursue a unique path that works for them—just as he did more than 50 years ago.