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WHY DO WE GIVE
My husband, Mike, and I have
contributed to the Veterans Education Program at Fresno State for several years now. We do
so on a monthly basis; there are several reasons why.
One reason has to do with our professional lives. We are retired educators and school/district administrators. We believe educa- tion is the foundation to bettering one's life. A person's life can always be improved through education. A free and appropriate public education is the cornerstone to moving out of poverty, to bettering ourselves, to improving our life prospects, to improving the lives of our children (and grandchildren) and to making our nation stronger and more vibrant.
Another reason has to do with family ties to the military. Jean's oldest brother, Dick, graduated from Annapolis in 1959. Her sec- ond-oldest brother, Chuck, served in the Navy. Mike's dad, Jim was in the Marines. His brother, Steve, was in the Army.
Jean's uncle, Robert McPhillamey, piloted a B24 Liberator bomb- er during World War II, his plane known as The Sad Sack. He was shot down over Germany in February of 1943, an attack in which 3 of his fellow airmen were killed and he along with 6 others bailed out. He spent two years and four months in a German prison camp. Bob was released June 7, 1945 and re- turned to Washington, D.C., where he served as a litigator for
44th Bomb Group members at Stalag Luft III:
(from left to right) Robert K. Walker, Wayne H. Gotke, Robert H. McPhillamey, Wilber E. Wockenfuss, Leo O. Frazier, and John T. Mooney – The mound displaying, “U.S. A. A.F.” (US Army Air Forces) is constructed, in part, from debris excavated from underground tunnels dug by the POW’s as part of an escape plan. Photograph courtesy of Wayne C. Gotke, son of Wayne H. Gotke.
the Department of Interior tor many years. He was honored with a humbling interment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery upon his death in 2009.
A third reason we support the Veterans Education Program has to do with a strong belief that our democratic freedoms that we enjoy so much in this country don’t come easily or automatically. They must be honored and protected. The men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect those freedoms deserve our everlasting gratitude and support.
The Fresno Stale Veterans Education Program is a one-of-a-kind program that encapsulates our reasons for contributing monthly. We HEARTILY SUPPORT IT!
Both our dads set the example on how important serving your country is, but unlike Chuck (Vietnam Veteran and graduate of Fresno State), neither had the basis to further their education. We are both so proud to be part of the Veterans Education Program because it does not permit a good mind to be wasted. Education, and especially Continuing Education, are so important to us. We are also very involved in the OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Insti-
16 California State University, FRESNO
tute) program, again because after you have completed your career, and raised your family, it is time to do something for you. And for us that means not letting our minds get stale. Best words we can ever hear are “I did not know that.”