Groner Fellows: Where Are They Now?

Did you see the Tribune's fantastic follow-up article today about the Groner Fellows? You remember them. They are the Lake Forest College students fortunate enough to be recipients of the generosity of Grace Groner, the Lake Forest alumna who died in early 2010 and left LFC $7million and her Lake Forest cottage. (Special note to my readers: If anyone would like to leave me $7million, I'll do good things with (most of) it. I promise. Honestly.)

You may also recall that I received an exclusive tour of Grace's Cottage back in August. What a moving experience that was. Because Grace lived frugally, not cheaply and certainly not poorly, she will continue to live through generations of Foresters and she will impact lives all around the world. What an inspiration she is.

Anyway, the Chicago Tribune ran a follow-up today. Enjoy!

Surprise gift bears fruit for Lake Forest College
Multi-million dollar donation used to fund scholarships
By John Keilman, April 20, 2011

One year after Grace Groner left an unexpected fortune to a Lake Forest College scholarship program, her generosity has borne impressive fruit.

Groner, who died early last year at the age of 100, was a mild-mannered corporate secretary who, unknown to almost all of her friends and acquaintances, was also a shrewd investor. She turned a $180 stock purchase made in 1935 into an estate worth $7 million.

She was a longtime resident of Lake Forest, one of the wealthiest towns in the Chicago area, but lived in an exceedingly modest one-bedroom house. She never married or had children but formed a strong bond with Lake Forest College, her alma mater.

Her estate went into a foundation that Groner, a devoted traveler, meant to aid students interested in studying overseas or pursuing an internship. So far, 84 students have gotten $500 grants to help them work at places ranging from Merrill Lynch to the Chicago Botanic Garden, or to travel to countries such as England or Botswana.

Study abroad programs "don't generally pay for transportation, so this is usually a big help for airfare," said Assistant Dean Jan Miller.

Her gift to the college also included her tiny, antiquated cottage. Students helped rehab it over the summer, and now it serves as an up-to-date residence for two women who have gotten the scholarships.

One of them is Erin McGinley, a senior who used her grant to travel to Falmouth, Jamaica, a historic seaport being transformed by a cruise ship company into a tourist-friendly town. McGinley, 35, a sociology and anthropology major, documented how locals, investors and non-governmental organizations feel about the changes.

The living room holds a photo of Groner, and McGinley said looking at it produces a bittersweet feeling.

"I'm sad that I didn't get to meet her in person, but obviously she has touched a lot of people throughout the community," she said.

Grace may not have had any blood heirs when she died, but as Foresters, we're all Grace's heirs.

Lake Forest Day on Facebook

Today is Lake Forest Day on Facebook. Inspired by the generosity of Grace Groner '31 last week and the way that story went viral on the internet, in the media, and especially all over Facebook, my friend Derek at the College has organized a day for all alums, friends, faculty, and families to show their own love for LFC through donating to the Annual Fund and then bragging about it on Facebook.

As Derek said in his email, "Grace made a tremendous gift that will help some of our students realize their dreams of studying abroad. But there are many other programs that need funding, and for that, we rely on hundreds of smaller gifts from people like you."

Put another way by Grace's attorney, Bill Marlatt, on Little Merry Sunshine last week, "You hit on the meaning of her gift when you responded with a desire to help the College. None of us are self made. We have all been helped along over the years. Groner Fellows will have an obligation to help and mentor other fellows coming after them. People sometimes ask who owns a college. Well it is owned by those who have graduated from it. It is strong when this shared resource is given to others." (emphasis mine)

Grace lived her life in such a way that her legacy will impact many future generations of Foresters. While her gift is impressive and makes us all proud to be Foresters, it's not enough. Even though we may not have $7 million to give today, we can each do a little. And when we each do a little on a consistent basis, that adds up to a lot and makes all the difference.

Even though I've already made my annual donation to the College, I'm making another one today because I believe so strongly in helping other students achieve their dreams. I've made no secret of the fact that I would never have been able to attend Lake Forest without the generous financial aid package I was given each of my four years. While some of my financial aid came in the form of loans and state and federal grants, a good portion of it came from Lake Forest College alumni who had generously donated over the years. As a result, I believe that I have an obligation to help other students have the incredible opportunities I had by supporting programs on campus through donations to the Annual Fund.

Sometimes, when I think back on my life and ask some of those "what if" questions, I wonder what if I'd gone to the other school I was deciding between rather than Lake Forest. How much more debt would I have had because all they offered me were loans? Would I still keep in touch with my professors the way I keep in touch with professors at LFC? Would members of the administration still know me by name all these years later? Would I have learned to take risks the way I did at LFC and graduated knowing how to have faith that the net would appear when I jumped and if it didn't how to pick myself up and start over? I have a number of friends who went to that other school I was considering and based on their experiences, I'd have to say the answer to each of those questions is no.

Lake Forest College holds a special place in my heart and I imagine it holds a special place in the hearts of other many Foresters, as well.

If you're one of those Foresters or if you're just moved by my love for my alma mater, please visit the Alumni Gateway and make a donation today. Remember, a little does a lot, so any size donation you make will have a big impact. Oh, and brag about it on Facebook*. Let's paint Facebook Red and Black today.

*When you choose to brag about your donation on Facebook, the post just says you made a donation with a picture of the College's logo. No one will know how much you donated.

LMS Follow-up: World News Tonight & Today Show Stories on Grace Groner

Finally the World News Tonight embed code works! Here's the story. I love the old photos of LFC.

What are the lessons we can learn from Grace Groner? Over time, the equivalent of a few pennies can turn into millions or as one LFC student says in the Facebook group he started yesterday, A Little Does A Lot. Living a life of frugality doesn't mean being a miser or going without. Living within our means can mean others can live better. Humility is a virtue.

Enjoy the videos.



Good Morning America ran a story about Grace too!

Grace Groner's story even made the Today Show this morning.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now The Huffington Post has Grace's story!

Secret Millionaire Donates Her Millions to Illinois Alma Mater

Grace Groner lived frugally in a one-bedroom house. According to the Chicago Tribune, she rarely made large purchases, and her house was decorated plainly with some furniture and an antique television.

When she passed away at the age of 100, her alma mater, Lake Forest College, was astounded to find that Groner had left them $7 million dollars.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Groner's estate, which stemmed from a $180 stock purchase she made in 1935, was worth $7 million.

The money is going into a foundation that will enable many of Lake Forest's 1,300 students to pursue internships and study-abroad programs they otherwise might have had to forgo. It will be an appropriate memorial to a woman whose life was a testament to the higher possibilities of wealth.

Lake Forest College is a liberal arts school in northeast Illinois, about 35 miles north of Chicago. Groner graduated from the school in 1931. Good Morning America covered the story.