Vivian Weyerhaeuser Piasecki, a former Trustee and a member of several advisory boards at Penn, died on July 10. She was 92.

Born in Chicago and raised in Minnesota, Ms. Piasecki graduated from Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut in 1948 and earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Vassar College in New York in 1952.

Ms. Piasecki was appointed chair of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1980 by Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh and served as one of the first female board members at Fidelity Bank, the Potlatch Corporation, and other businesses. She was also involved in the founding and development of Gladwyne Montessori School, Montessori Genesis II, St. Malachy School, and the Margaret Roper Forum.

In 1991, Ms. Piasecki became a Penn Trustee, a role she held until 1996. She served on the Budget & Finance and Student Life committees, as well as on several other boards around Penn, including that of the Institute of Aging. She chaired the board of Penn Nursing, helped raise it to prominence, and remained a devoted member after her retirement as an emeritus member. Ms. Piasecki served as a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. She also co-chaired Penn Nursing’s Dean’s Council, served on the Penn Nursing Campaign Committee, and led Friends of Penn Nursing in its efforts to raise scholarship funds for future nurses. Penn Nursing awarded Ms. Piasecki its Honorary Alumni Award in 1999.

“Vivian’s dedication to Penn Medicine and Penn Nursing led her to support a wide range of priorities and projects,” wrote Penn Trustees chair Scott Bok and Penn President Liz Magill in a tribute to Ms. Piasecki. “The philanthropy of Vivian and her husband, Frank, touched every corner of Penn Nursing, from annual giving and the Dean’s Fund to capital improvements and facility renovations. The couple helped create endowed professorships as well as academic scholarships for students at Penn Nursing. They also provided funding for Penn Medicine, particularly to the Institute on Aging, but also for faculty support, lectures, and research.”

Ms. Piasecki was dedicated to numerous organizations throughout the Philadelphia region and across the U.S. She served on the boards of WHYY public radio and television, the National Constitution Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra,  the Balch Institute for Immigration and Ethnic Studies, the Please Touch Museum, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Museum Trustee Association, and the Franklin Institute. She served as president of the Piasecki Family Foundation, which under her leadership supported environmental causes and education.

“Vivian was a pillar of strength and integrity and made a profound impact on Penn, the Philadelphia region, and beyond,” said Mr. Bok and President Magill. “We know that the entire Penn community joins us in expressing our deepest condolences to the Piasecki family.”

Ms. Piasecki was predeceased by her husband, Frank Piasecki, ME’40, in 2008. She is survived by her children, Lynn, Nicole, WG’89, Frederick, Frank, John, Michael, and Gregory, WG’97; and many grandchildren.

A funeral mass took place on July 17, 2023. Donations in her name may be made to the National Constitution Center, Attn: Development, 525 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106; St. Malachy School of Philadelphia, P.O. Box 37012, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122; and WHYY, P.O. Box 900, Greencastle, Pennsylvania 17225.