Chicago natives Bill Hank '54 and his wife Joan, a Loyola University graduate, can count many blessings in their life together. They have been married nearly 60 years, have five children and 15 grandchildren. All five of their children are Notre Dame graduates, and three have spouses who graduated from Notre Dame.
As their 50th wedding anniversary approached, Bill wanted to give Joan the gift of security. A Notre Dame charitable gift annuity became a "no-brainer" gift for Joan.
The gift annuity will provide steady income to Joan for her lifetime-an income that Bill can count on due to the management of the University's resources and its fiscal conservatism. Bill and Joan have subsequently established several charitable gift annuities at Notre Dame, attracted by their highly competitive annual payouts and by the significant income-tax savings they provide.
The Hanks consider themselves to be quiet benefactors. Giving to Notre Dame is both an "obligation and an opportunity," an ethic Bill and Joan modeled after watching their parents work long and hard to provide them with educations.
Now blessed financially, the Hanks had already set up a gift to Notre Dame through their wills. Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., was a major influence in the Hanks' decision to make a planned gift to the University. As a student, Bill had the opportunity to work with Fr. Hesburgh, to help grow the donor base of the University. Bill continued to work on growing Notre Dame's donor base as a founding member of the University's Gift Planning Advancement Committee.
Thank you, Bill and Joan. Notre Dame is humbled by your generosity and commitment to the mission of Our Lady's University.
