During college, Jack E. Weimer developed such an amazing reputation as the go-to person to prepare your taxes that some legendary MSU coaches trusted him to prepare their returns.

In fact, Weimer’s time at Missouri State often centered on two of his top passions: athletics and business.

Now, he gives back to both of those areas — and more.

Getting an early start in his accounting career

Weimer, a Springfield native, studied at MSU in the late 1960s. He grew up hearing about the great reputation of the school, and came here on a tennis scholarship.

He always knew he wanted to be a Certified Public Accountant. His father had a bookkeeping and tax firm, and from age 16, Weimer was doing income tax returns.

When he graduated from high school, he had already worked in accounting for three years.

At his first job interview early in his college career — before he had even had an income tax class — his prospective employers gave him a tax return to prepare. Not only was he able to prepare it, he did it perfectly. He was hired on the spot.

Weimer worked about 30 hours a week for Roper and Richardson, CPAs, while being a full-time student through college. On top of that, he never missed a class.

He said he listened closely and paid attention in school so he didn’t have to do as much homework or studying outside of class, which allowed him to balance work and other activities.

“I’m a perfectionist, and being this meticulous goes hand-in-hand with accounting,” he said.

Playing tennis; Developing a life-long love for Bears Athletics

Weimer is a self-described huge sports fan.

Some of his favorite Missouri State memories: Attending basketball games and playing tennis.

During his tennis career, he played doubles with Lynn Morris and had a 29-2 record.

He smiles when remembering school dances.

“I always enjoyed the times I was able to go dancing — a hobby I still love today when given the chance.”

He still loves MSU basketball, and has traveled all over the country to support the Bears and Lady Bears.

He stays active now by playing pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

Founding his own firm and investing in other businesses

Weimer was well-prepared to enter his career. Soon after he graduated with his bachelor’s in accounting in 1970, he was hired as a financial controller at Pepsi-Cola Seven-Up Bottling Company.

He worked there until 1972 when he started his own accounting firm, Weimer & Associates, Inc., in Springfield.

But Weimer is an entrepreneur who does not want to become stagnate: He was always looking for opportunities to invest in other businesses. In 1975, an accounting client of Weimer’s contacted him about a furniture store that was going out of business. He and his accounting client formed a partnership and purchased the store. They ran it for 5 years, until 1980. After that, they ran a “going out of business” sale and were written up in a national magazine due to their success.

Next, he bought Martin Interiors, a retail furniture business, which he ran from 1980-85 in conjunction with his CPA firm.

Giving back to his growing alma mater

Weimer is involved in diverse business interests with some of his five children, including Brandon, the other Bear graduate in the family.

Weimer has moved to Arizona, but thanks to ESPN Plus, he is able to watch every MSU men’s and women’s basketball game.

“My whole thought process is giving back. I hope students recognize there are MSU supporters who care about and are interested in their future and their success. Hopefully one day they, too, will remember what a scholarship meant to them and pay it forward to help the next generation. I hope they are always loyal to Missouri State.”

Weimer is now playing a bigger role in his alma mater as a Missouri State University Foundation Trustee.

“I always wanted to support Missouri State because they gave me a scholarship to attend college, and I wanted to give back. If there is any small thing I can do to help relieve stress on students, that is my goal. I want to help provide opportunities for them to get their education and not graduate with a lot of debt.” He’s experienced a lot of changes at MSU, and is excited about the future.

His mother graduated from Missouri State when it was a teacher’s college, and his granddaughter will be attending MSU this fall. That makes four generations of the family who have attended the university.

“I have seen lots of growth — from the physical buildings, to the addition of graduate programs, to increases in enrollment. Since the renaming from SMSU to Missouri State, it seems like others are recognizing and appreciating MSU as a major university and its importance in producing top students across all disciplines. I hope Missouri State continues to grow its reputation and build on the legacy that was started many years ago.”