Disciples Divinity House

William N. Weaver Jr, former Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, died November 25, in Chicago, after a long bout with emphysema. He was 79. Bill Weaver insisted on excellence—in fact, he was impatient about its necessity—and his savvy, expertise, and generosity helped to ensure it. He was astute about DDH's investments during a period of changing investment opportunities, yet he was also aware of the difference between ensuring good investments and ensuring the organization's mission. In that regard, he was always future-oriented in his approach to expenditures and believed that investing well in students was at least as important as investing the endowment well. Among his enduring contributions to the Disciples Divinity House was also the creation of the William N. Weaver Entering Scholarship. The award remembers his father, William N. Weaver (Sr), who was a beloved dean of students at the Divinity School and a 1989 recipient of DDH's Distinguished Alumnus Award. See more here.

Bill Weaver was born in New Orleans in 1934; when he was 11, his family moved to Chicago. He attended Oberlin College. After attending the University of Chicago Law School for two years and serving in the Army for another two years, he graduated first in his class from the John Marshall Law School in 1964. "He joined a five-person Chicago law firm that eventually became Sachnoff & Weaver Ltd., which grew to 160 lawyers by the time it merged in 2007 with Pittsburgh-based Reed Smith LLP." Mr. Weaver retired in 2009.

According to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, "William N. Weaver Jr. has been described as a 'consummate negotiator' and a 'brilliant tactician.' ... He was hailed as both a rainmaker and a kingmaker. One local news report once called him the 'dean of Chicago tech lawyers.' Others referred to him simply as 'the' tech lawyer.... He leaves behind his wife, Frona, two children, two stepchildren and 10 grandchildren—and one giant legacy in the Chicago legal and tech-startup worlds."

"An investor who worked with him, David Semmel, said ... 'He's had his share of red ink, but when you add it all up, his ledger’s ridiculously black. Of course he’s made enemies, rarely gratuitously, and few and far between compared to the Rolodex of people he counts as friends.'" The Daily Law obituary goes on to say, "At the same time, he fostered an atmosphere at his namesake firm that ran counter to the zealousness that sometimes characterizes the profession and the era. Lawyers at his firm were allowed to dress casually, encouraged to complete pro bono service and play pool or darts after work. Making money was important. But so were family outings and vacation time. 'He really cared deeply about maintaining the culture of the firm,' said Lowell E. Sachnoff, one of Weaver’s closest friends and partners since the mid-1960s.'"

Bill Weaver also served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union for 12 years. "'Bill was a progressive. He refused to call himself a liberal, but he believed a lot of things the ACLU did were important,' Sachnoff said. 'He was very careful to pick his causes.'"

A memorial service will be held December 20 at 11:00 am at the University Club of Chicago, 76 E. Monroe St.