Queer Places:
Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park Seattle, King County, Washington, USA
Richard W. "Ric" Weiland (April 21, 1953 – June 24, 2006) was a computer
software pioneer, programmer and philanthropist. He was the second employee at
Microsoft Corporation joining the company during his final year at Stanford.
When he was 35 he left Microsoft to focus his time on investment management
and philanthropy, becoming a quiet but well respected donor to the LGBTQ
social justice movement, the environment, health & human services and
education. After his death, the Chronicle of Philanthropy called Ric's bequest
the 11th largest charitable gift in the nation with more than $165 million
distributed between 20 non profit beneficiaries.
During his life Weiland was a donor to more than 60 non-profit
organizations and distributed an estimated $21.5m primarily between 1996-2006.
His largest gift was to establish an endowed chair in his mother's name at
Stanford - the Martha Meier Weiland professorship in the School of Medicine.
He was influential as an active member of the Northwest gay community. During
his time as a volunteer on the Pride Foundation's board of directors from 1997
to 2001, he helped win the fight to get General Electric to include sexual
orientation in their non-discrimination policy. A member of the national GLSEN
board (an organization focused on supporting gay-straight alliances in schools
across the country) from 2002-2005, he was a fervent supporter of programs
promoting safe schools for all kids.
10 LGBTQ/AIDS organizations benefited from a donor advised fund Weiland
established through the Pride Foundation at his death. More than $56 million
was distributed between 2007 and 2017 to these organizations. For most of
these non-profits it was the largest gift in their history. Beneficiaries
included: Lambda Legal, GLSEN, GLAAD, amFAR, the Task Force, OutRight Action
International, PFLAG, Project Inform, In the Life Media and OutServe.
Eight other estate beneficiaries received endowment gifts including United
Way of King County, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Children's Hospital, Lakeside School, Pride Foundation and three environmental
organizations - the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund and the
National Wildlife Federation. The Nature Conservancy received two direct gifts
of $6.4m each - one to support programs in Washington State and another to
support their global environmental work.
in 2007, Weiland's $54m gift to Stanford was called the largest bequest
since the Stanford family's founding grant. 12 endowed Weiland funds have been
established at the university, with a focus on supporting undergraduate
scholarships and graduate fellowships. More than 175 PhD students in more than
30 fields of study have received Weiland fellowships since the program
started, making it the largest fellowship program on campus. There are also 5
endowed Weiland chairs, the Martha Meier Weiland professorship at the Stanford
University School of Medicine.[2]
the William Hershel Weiland professorship in Physics honoring his father, and
three Richard William Weiland chairs in the School of Engineering. Weiland
funds also support the Stanford LGBTQ community through the university's first
endowment to Student Affairs, undergraduate education, the School of Business,
the Center for Social Innovation and the university's general endowment.
The permanent endowment funds established through Weiland's estate have a
2017 value of more than $150m and generate approximately $7.5m per year in
program support. As the investment returns on these funds compound, Weiland's
impact, especially in support of students will continue to grow.
Weiland committed suicide by gunshot on June 24, 2006. Besides his long
standing HIV diagnosis, he was reported to have suffered from clinical
depression. Survivors include his partner, Mike
Schaefer as well as 2 nieces and 2 nephews in Oregon and Washington.[3]
My published books:
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- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Weiland#References