Stritch Alumnus Donates More Than $2 Million

For Walter E. Neiswanger, MD, a 1952 graduate of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (Stritch), retirement has not been a time to slow down. A noted pathologist and philanthropist, he continues to donate his time and personal resources to his alma mater and many organizations in his local community.

Dr. Neiswanger’s strong work ethic developed at an early age. After graduating from Davenport High School, Iowa, Dr. Neiswanger worked for a year in order to save money for college. Following his freshman year at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve during World War II. The basic medical training he received in the army convinced him to switch from a major in chemistry to pre-medicine. Dr. Neiswanger completed his medical education at Stritch with the help of the G.I. Bill.

Following an internship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a fellowship at the College of American Pathologists in Northfield, Ill., he returned to his native Davenport to establish his career where he served as a pathologist for the Quad-Cities Pathologists Group, and a laboratory director for the Franciscan Medical Center and the Metropolitan Medical Laboratory.

The importance of sharing with others was deeply ingrained in Dr. Neiswanger by his parents, Walter B. and Katherine. Dr. Neiswanger incorporated this philosophy throughout his professional and personal activities.

In 1993, he established a charitable remainder unitrust in the amount of $1 million to endow four scholarships at Stritch. The Neiswanger Scholarship Series are annual awards, based on merit, which fund four medical students for a full year. This gift also endowed a distinguished visiting professorship in honor of his brother, Francis, and the Walter F. Neiswanger Academic Fellowship.

In 2000, Dr. Neiswanger furthered his commitment by donating $1.1 million to create the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy. The Neiswanger Institute is dedicated to research, education and service in bioethics and health policy. It serves Stritch faculty and students, Loyola University Health System (Loyola) caregivers and patients and professionals from the regional community. In five short years, the program has rapidly become a national voice on health policy and an advocate for medically underserved populations.

Dr. Neiswanger’s "generosity provides many of the resources that have helped make Stritch an educational leader among medical schools," said Mark Kuczewski, PhD, director of the Neiswanger Institute. "He has helped enable our medical students to develop the conceptual and analytic skills they need to implement the Jesuit Catholic vision of respect for humanity and justice in health care.”

In 1996, he was honored with the prestigious Stritch Medal of Honor, an award that is presented annually to a distinguished Stritch alumnus or faculty member. Dr. Neiswanger currently serves on an Advisory Council for Stritch and Loyola. He is a lifetime member of the President’s Club, a recognition society for long-time donors of Loyola University Chicago. “It is a privilege to contribute to Stritch,” said Dr. Neiswanger. “From the time I was a medical student, Stritch has always been a place that teaches the values that make great clinicians who demonstrate the care and concern, that create public trust in the medical profession."

Planned Gifts
Unlike an outright gift of cash or stock, planned gifts can provide income and tax advantages to donors today, while supporting Loyola University Health System in the future. An added bonus of planned gifts is that they can reduce estate taxes.

A charitable remainder trust can provide you and your beneficiaries a stream of income for life, or a period of years. After the trust terminates, the accumulated principal, or remainder, goes to Loyola University Medical Center.

For any questions about these types of gifts, please feel free to call Robert Barto, senior director, Major Gifts, at (708) 216-3203.

Related Links
Our family of philanthropy
Mission statement and donor bill of rights
Description of ways to give