Anniversary

Today, Sept.3, 2008, is

the 70th wedding anniversary

of two of the founding Directors of this University. On Sept. 3, 1938, Frank William Illanich Lynch and Pearl Dorothy Seske Nowicki wed and moved into a tiny attic apartment at 8339 So. Anthony Ave on the South Side of Chicago, in between what would become Michelle Robinson Obama's home and Rev. Wright's church.

Frank and Pearl worked as much blue collar overtime as they could get in a low wage, non-union factory. By never drinking, smoking or eating out, and buying only the minimum replacement clothing, while continuing to support Pearl's mother and younger brother, and while making contributions to support Frank's siblings, they were still able to accumulate the down payment to buy the house directly across the alley behind them at 8339 So. Bennet, where the third founding Director of the University, Richard Frank Lynch was born on December 31, 1941, three weeks after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Because the son was born 90 minutes before New Years Eve, he was in 1941, and Pearl was excited to get a December Rationing Card for a pound of butter and sugar. Their daughter Susan was born 22 months later.

Frank was overjoyed to work ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week, sometimes half a day on Sunday, for the next five years producing emergency World War II supplies, and saved enough money to buy an small apartment building just off the railroad tracks, where the new family lived and rented out the other two apartments.

After a lifetime of hard work and saving, even though Frank was born in poverty and only completed the eight grade, at age 93 Frank, with his wife and son, made a final gift of gratitude to this country, which had given him the chance to work hard, and whose taxpayers and charities never gave him any handout except a rationing card to buy a pound of butter and sugar.

That gift? At age 93, Frank, Pearl and their son founded this University to prepare teachers to bring complete equality to every child in America.

Stories like this happen

only in America,

where ordinary people do the most extraordinary things,

day after day.

Join us in celebrating by

helping to cure our catastrophic teacher shortage

What will you do for your country when you are 93?

What have you done for children lately?

So that your children,

when they are struggling with being age 93,

may be as fortunate as we are today in this wonderful country,

please

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