Merrick Pratt '42

Merrick came to Webb in 1939 from the Judson School in Phoenix, Arizona. He quickly involved himself in life on campus, including the Honor Committee, student government, Block W, El Espejo, drama, footall, swimming, track and field, and tennis. Thompson Webb himself commented in a letter to Merrick’s family in 1942, “Merrick has been making a splendid record with us. He is one of our fine boys of whom we are exceedingly proud.”

Pratt left Webb in 1942 for Pomona College and graduated in 1946. Pratt’s working life spanned two careers – the first in oil and the second as an entrepreneur building custom yachts. He retired once and for all in 1998 and resided with his wife, Lillian, in New Jersey until their passing. Merrick and Lillian were survived by two sons and a daughter.

In January 2005, Merrick decided to establish a $100,000 charitable gift annuity to benefit Webb. The annuity provided the Pratts with regular payments for life and the remainder was a gift to Webb.

Like Thompson Webb said in a letter in the 1950’s, “I never forget my old boys.“ It is apparent they’ve not forgotten him or his great school.

Is a charitable gift annuity right for you?

The payout for charitable gift annuities will vary depending on your age. Please contact us to inquire about your potential payout rate or if you have any questions about charitable gift annuities.

Since your gift annuity benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view a color example of your benefits.