Alice Mortenson (’62 BS History), who created the Alice D. Mortenson/Petrovich Chair in Russian History

Bequest Will Provide Many Opportunities

Many 5-year-old boys dream of being firemen, race car drivers or cowboys. Michael Reiter, Chicago, Illinois, wanted to be a lawyer. In 1959, he entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a freshman. By 1969 he had earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in philosophy. He also earned his beloved law degree.

Since then, Mike has practiced law in Chicago with a nationwide practice. He currently is a partner of Duane, Morris and Heckscher where he works on commercial litigation and white collar criminal litigation. Since 1977, he has been an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law where he currently teaches white collar criminal law. He also has taught a skills course at the UW-Madison Law School and has been a member of the faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, a non-profit institute dedicated to the development of a professionally responsible trial bar.

Today, Michael is an enthusiastic ambassador for the UW-Madison and, more specifically, the Law School. "I have a moral obligation to give back to the institution that has played such an important role in my career," said Mike. "I earned four degrees--three of which are graduate degrees--from the UW and I received substantial financial assistance for my graduate school education. I am pleased to be able to express my appreciation to the University by means of our bequests."

Michael and his wife, Susan (Holly), also an attorney, established will provisions that will provide a significant financial contribution to the University of Wisconsin Law School to establish the Michael A. Reiter and Susan K. Reiter Fund. The fund will provide scholarships for financially needy students pursuing a JD degree. The Michael A. Reiter and Susan K. Reiter Fund for the Department of Philosophy will provide fellowships for graduate students pursuing a doctorate degree in that discipline.

Will provisions such as these are the most common deferred gift for the University. Deferred gifts are made in the present and received by the Foundation in the future. Some deferred gifts are straightforward, such as these bequests. Others are more complex and can provide current tax benefits as well as a life income for the donor and/or beneficiary.

The Reiters are involved with the Law School, The Bascom Hill Society and the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Unbeknownst to some, Mike has an artistic side--he is an opera buff who enjoys appearing in operas to see them "come together from scratch." He prefers Italian classics to modern works and has been in several operas as a supernumerary, one of sometimes dozens of opera extras who do such tasks as march on stage in columns, kneel, rise and then march off. In addition to their many gifts to the Law School, Mike and Holly have supported the Marcus & Blanche Singer Graduate Fellowship in the College of Letters and Science.

The couple also enjoys traveling and now that Holly is retired they have more time for adventure. In addition to pleasure trips, Mike spent three years teaching overseas, a tour that included stints in Ethiopia, Germany, Turkey, Spain and Norway.

"We hope that our gifts will make a difference in the lives of some young, aspiring students or in some way will make the University a better place," said Michael.