Planned Giving

Each of us has a story to tell about how Parker has impacted our lives, or that of our children. For many of us, it seems neither time nor distance weaken the bond we have with Parker. That’s the measure of Parker’s impact—that connection that remains present in the day-to-day aspects of each of our lives. Like so many before us, that bond has compelled us to give back to Parker in a meaningful way. For some, that means giving in a way that is lasting through a planned gift.

The Anita McCormick Blaine Planned Giving Society was established to recognize members of our community, past and current, who are committed to ensuring that Parker thrives, now and for generations to come. Including Parker in your estate plans through a planned gift allows you to make an impact on the lives of students, creating a bond that, in turn, they will nurture throughout the course of their lives.

There’s no better time to share your story and give a lasting gift to Parker.

For more information about the Society, planned giving or the Parker Fund, contact Major Gifts Officer Annie Hudson in the Development and Alumni Office at 773.797.5517 or ahudson@fwparker.org.

Joan Nierman Weiss arrived at Parker in the 9th grade having spent her elementary school years at two Chicago-area private schools. “Parker was very unique, and very diverse for the time, and I loved that about it,” she recalled. As a field hockey player and an active participant in Parker’s once bustling Toy Shop, to this day, Joan feels strongly that her experiences at Parker were unlike any she had had in her previous schools and unlike the experiences of her older siblings at their school.

She reflects on the independence, confidence and trust by her teachers gave her to play an active role in her own learning. “All of the teachers were just really special…they treated you like they cared about you.” One experience that sticks with Joan was visiting a police station on her own as a junior or senior to speak with and learn more about drug-addicted individuals. She used her visit to the police station and the scenes she observed there to inform her writing for a paper. “Where else could I have gone and had this kind of experience? Parker was just a thoughtful, special place.”

In the years following her graduation from Parker, Joan married Marco Weiss, a West coast native and attorney, and together they have traveled extensively, living in Chicago, Los Angeles and abroad in Russia, the UK and France. Joan and Marco have been active, longtime supporters of many cultural and social service organizations around Chicago and Los Angeles, but their support of Parker is a special one rooted in the unique educational experience Joan received here. Like many alumni, Joan reminisces about the close-knit friendships she developed during high school. Her group of friends hailed from different parts of Chicago, and she reflects on how fortunate she was to have had friendships with a diverse group of people. “I had so many friends that I probably wouldn’t have met anywhere else and I was lucky they were at Parker.”

Of his wife and her innate ability to empathize and connect with others from all walks of life, Marco says, “Joan doesn’t know the boundaries…she accepts people for who they are and what they are…and I think she learned that growing up from her experience at Parker and her parents.”

Joan Nierman Weiss graduated from Parker in 1953. She and her husband, Marco Weiss have one son, William, and live in Chicago. Most recently, the Weisses hosted Joan’s 60th reunion gathering.They are passionate about diversity initiatives and proud to support Parker through a meaningful planned gift, for which our school is forever grateful.