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Meet Our Donors

Jean McCool

Jean McCool
As a lifelong friend of the Zoo, Jean McCool’s heartfelt legacy gift will carry on what she thought was important in life—caring for animals.
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Karen Meldrum

Karen Schaffer Meldrum
Karen Schaffer Meldrum had her reasons for wanting to be a year older. She knew when she reached a particular age, she could use her IRA to make a tax-wise gift to ensure a legacy for wildlife conservation.
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Larry Absheer

Larry Absheer
While he knew a lot about money, Larry Absheer didn’t fully understand the power of planned giving and how much he really had to share until he got involved at the Zoo.
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David Ganz

David R. Ganz
David R. Ganz is passionate about enriching his hometown of St. Louis by supporting cherished organizations through his estate plan, with the Saint Louis Zoo at the top of his list.
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Maria, Mireille, & Gene Dobbs Bradford

Maria and Gene Bradford
With help from the Zoo’s complimentary Thompson & Associates program, Maria and Gene Bradford created an estate plan with which they’re proud to support our future.
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Mike and Laura Herring

Mike and Laura Herring
St. Louis native Laura Herring fondly recalls visiting the Zoo as a child. Decades later, she and her husband, Mike, are using their estate plan to ensure the families of their grandchildren can enjoy it down the road.
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Tamara Schmitz

Tamara Schmitz Explored the World at the Zoo
My fondest memories of childhood center on one location. Where else but the Saint Louis Zoo could I ride a steam train, watch the Sea Lion Show, learn something new about an animal and enjoy the day without spending the whole $6 I earned that week mowing the neighbor's lawn?
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Irene and Bob Gulovsen

Financial Security and a Sense of Continuity
Irene Gulovsen's mother inspired her to carry on her values of caring about animals and the environment. Those values and the inheritance she left Irene were powerful gifts that Irene and her husband, Bob, are using for impact now and into the future.
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LaDonna and Paul Hopkins

Family, Community and the Saint Louis Zoo
It may appear that LaDonna and Paul Hopkins travel all the way from Albuquerque to visit the Saint Louis Zoo. However, they really come to St. Louis throughout the year to spend time with their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, and the Zoo is a favorite place to spend time together.
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Richard and Nancy Marston

Richard and Nancy Marston
Richard and Nancy Marston are wonderful friends of the Saint Louis Zoo who enjoy belonging to the Marlin Perkins Society and the Heritage Society and serving on the Zoo's Planned Giving Advisory Committee.
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Hannah and Larry Langsam

Hannah and Larry Langsam
Hannah and Larry Langsam are longtime friends of the Saint Louis Zoo. "In 1971 we moved to St. Louis from Boston with our three young daughters. The Saint Louis Zoo soon became a major attraction for our family," recalls Hannah.
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Nancy Wagoner

Nancy Wagoner
Nancy Wagoner looks forward to Tuesdays because that's her day to volunteer as a docent at the Zoo. She says, "When I taught school, I looked forward to the weekends (even though I loved my job); now I look forward to Tuesdays when I get to go to the Zoo!"
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Clarence Zacher

Clarence Zacher
Clarence Zacher had a lifelong love of animals and the Saint Louis Zoo. His legacy will live on at the Zoo through the animals helped in his name.
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David L. Curtis and Judith P. Leonard

David L. Curtis and Judith P. Leonard
Together, David Curtis and Judy Leonard have visited zoos worldwide. The couple is keeping conservation in mind at home by creating a fund at the Saint Louis Zoo.
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Carol Loeb

Carol Loeb
Combining her love of bears and education with the joy she gets from seeing families connecting with bears "nose to nose" through glass exhibit walls, Carol is thrilled to remember the Zoo with an estate gift from her IRA.
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Elizabeth Green

Elizabeth Green
The Saint Louis Planned Giving Council presented the Saint Louis Legacy Awards to recognize the power of planned giving in transforming our community and the world. Congratulations to 2017 Saint Louis Legacy Awards Honoree Elizabeth Green.
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Bill Siedhoff

Bill Siedhoff
The Saint Louis Zoo got a call one day from Bill Siedhoff as he was preparing for retirement. After 40-plus years in social services, where he helped make a positive difference in families’ lives, he continued to consider ways to help people.
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Phyllis Tirmenstein

Phyllis Tirmenstein
The Saint Louis Zoo is proud to recognize Miss Phyllis Tirmenstein as a 2016 Legacy Award donor, a distinction granted by the Saint Louis Planned Giving Council every year to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of philanthropy. Miss Tirmenstein was nominated for the award by the Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis University, two of the many organizations she has supported over the years. With gratitude, we share the awards ceremony video done to honor Miss Tirmenstein.
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Walt Suhre

Walt Suhre
Walt Suhre's life philosophy has served him well for eight decades. It is that life has three dimensions: learnin', earnin' and returnin'. He says all three occur throughout the life journey - not necessarily in successive phases, and often overlapping one another. The Saint Louis Zoo celebrates having Walt in its family and being an integral part of his journey.
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Marian Kline

Marian Kline
Marian Kline was a Saint Louis Zoo volunteer docent for over 30 years. She adopted the Zoo into her family, which her husband and children fully supported for the joy it gave her.
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Doris Sudhoff

Doris Sudhoff
Doris Sudhoff had a penchant for elephants. She was scheduled for knee surgery, but before she went in she visited the Saint Louis Zoo to see her favorite elephant Raja one more time.
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Sue Dexter

Sue Dexter
For more than 30 years, Sue Dexter was a dedicated Saint Louis Zoo volunteer and supporter. She and her husband Phil both started out in the Children’s Zoo.
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Nancy Norvell

Nancy Norvell
After a lifetime of giving to others, it was no surprise that Nancy Norvell made her ultimate gift through her estate plans, leaving more than a million dollars to the charitable organizations she loved most.
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Alma K. Reitz

Alma Reitz Gives to the Places She Loves
"The Saint Louis Zoo has brought much joy to me over the years, and I hope it brings that joy to others for years to come," states Miss Alma Reitz about making her legacy plan for her beloved Zoo. Through her estate plan, she is establishing the Reitz Endowment Fund at the Zoo in memory of her family.
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Dale Knight

For Dale Knight, the Zoo Is Family
Dale Knight is more than a friend of the Saint Louis Zoo - he is Zoo family. Dale has done just about everything there is to do at the Zoo. Like many planned giving donors in the Zoo's Heritage Society, Dale started coming to the Zoo as a child.
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Earl Spohr

Earl Spohr, Forever Tall
Earl Spohr stands tall at six feet, four inches. He stands tall in character, values, and generosity as well. It's his approach to life -- serving his country, his community, and organizations that change lives for the better. The Saint Louis Zoo is fortunate to be among his beneficiaries.
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Jefferson and Dorothy Danforth Miller

A Lifelong and Lasting Legacy
Jefferson and Dorothy Danforth Miller were longtime friends of the the Saint Louis Zoo. We miss their smiles but know that lots of smiles happen here every day because of their generosity over the years and the legacy they have left.
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Marge and David Perkins

Dr. David and Mrs. Marge Perkins
Marge Perkins started volunteering at the Zoo in 1979, and Dave followed suit in 1994. That same year they joined the Marlin Perkins Society, then became members of the Heritage Society in 1999.
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Frances Kish

Frances Kish Gives Her Time, Treasure, and Talent to the Zoo
It is rare to find a donor as committed as Frances Kish. A longtime volunteer, Frances is also a Heritage Society member who has remembered the Zoo in her estate plans. She exemplifies the spirit of philanthropy by giving both her time and her treasure.
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Have a Question?

the Planned Giving Office

Director of Planned Gifts

(314) 646-4973

plannedgiving@stlzoo.org

Robin Kraujalis, CFRE

Manager, Planned Gifts

(314) 646-4973

plannedgiving@stlzoo.org

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to the Saint Louis Zoo a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I, [name], of [city, state, ZIP], give, devise and bequeath to the Saint Louis Zoo Association, One Government Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110 [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to the Zoo or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to the Zoo as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to the Zoo as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and the Zoo where you agree to make a gift to the Zoo and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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