Gay Microsoft Pioneer Left Millions to Gay Rights, HIV Organizations
Both the Seattle Times and the Seattle-PI reported today that Ric Weiland, who was one of the first five employees at Microsoft, left millions to nonprofit organizations focused on gay rights and HIV/AIDS. For many of the organizations, the donations he gave them were the largest donations they have ever received.
Weiland committed suicide last year at the age of 53 after a long battle with depression.
I had never heard of him before today but have certainly used products he wrote or developed. I found his story fascinating. He was obviously a brilliant, remarkable gay man who lived a full, rich life.
I find it interesting that he was unable to find happiness even though he was in a long-term relationship, had strong family connections and was active and respected in his community. We are constantly being told that those things are protective against unhappiness. But in his case those things and the fact that he was in great physical shape and very wealth were not enough. Depression is a puzzling problem.
I’d certainly like to know a lot more about his important life. It sounds like his depression was being managed until he suffered so many deaths in his family. Personally I find it depressing that a gay man of such enormous accomplishments felt he had leave much of his fortune to support the battle for basic human rights for gays and lesbians in our culture. I wonder if that got to him as well. If he had been straight his life would have been different just because of the political climate in our country.
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