Steve Piper Expands WA’s Reach with Charitable Gift Annuities and IRA Contributions

Worcester Academy made a big difference in the life of Dr. W. Stephen Piper ’58, which is why his estate plan includes charitable gift annuities and an IRA beneficiary contribution to the Academy.

Steve first entered Abercrombie House as a student and a resident. His father became headmaster in Steve’s freshman year, making WA both his school and his home.

“WA is literally where I grew up,” Steve says. “It’s in my blood.”

Now Steve wants to help make WA more broadly available through gifts in his estate plan and the establishment of two memorial scholarships honoring his parents: Mary Piper Johnson and William S. Piper.

Steve and his wife, Diane, have several charitable gift annuities with WA. The Academy is also the beneficiary of one of Steve’s IRAs. “All of my annual gifts come directly from my IRA, so I get deductions for those,” he adds.

While at the Academy, Steve was editor of the Vigornia, played soccer, and competed on the chess team. After graduating as valedictorian, he attended Bowdoin College and Stanford University and enjoyed a 30-year career as a consultant in transpacific defense technology cooperation for the U.S. government and his own Piper Pacific International.

Steve hopes to inspire other alumni to include the Academy in their estate plans.

“I feel that it is my social obligation as a community member to support institutions that make differences in people’s lives,” he says. “I’d like to make a WA education available to more people.”