Route 66 – Epilogue 2

The number one reason for doing the ride was for the adventure and to do it while I am still able. The second reason was to raise awareness and money for the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation.

The Pullman Foundation is special to me. I was a Pullman scholar when I attended the University of Illinois from 1974 to 1978. Although my tuition had been covered by a different scholarship, I still needed money for room, board, books, clothes, and other living expenses. I worked in the cafeteria all four years and in a factory in the summers. The Pullman scholarship freed me from the equivalent of hundreds of more hours in the cafeteria!

Back in 1974, I had not filled out an application or written an essay for the scholarship. My guess is that one of my teachers or counselors must have recommended me. One day, I got out of class for a period so two men could conduct a face to face interview. I don’t remember any of the questions, but I’m sure I said something about how I was working a job to save money for college. I told them I was in band and a member of the National Honor Society. I thought I would study engineering because I heard you could get a job with that degree. Neither of my parents had completed a full high school degree. None of my friends parents had ever gone to college. Me and my peers were the blind leading the blind in this experience.

Fast forward a few years. I had been out in the working world, had a good paying job in a technology field, and was married with 2 kids. I had been donating to the Foundation annually. Around 2014 I was invited by the Pullman Foundation to help select the finalists for that year’s awards. Applicants now have to fill out an application, submit their FAFSA information, write an essay, and have a phone interview. Alumni, such as myself will either review the essays or conduct the phone interview based on criteria from the Foundation.

Now, the Foundation will receive from 500-600 applications from high school seniors across Cook County, Illinois (Chicago area). From that, they will select around 250 semi finalists who will have their essays reviewed and phone interviews conducted. After that, 20-35 scholarships are awarded that are renewed for the four years they are in college assuming they maintain a certain GPA, etc. I have helped select the winners from the pool of about 200+ semi-finalists by conducting phone interviews with 3-5 of the candidates for the last 12 years or so. After speaking with the current candidates, I am quite humbled and can’t believe I was granted an award. They are head and shoulders above where I was at 17.

For at least a decade, the foundation has not only made the awards, but also hosted a symposium to help their scholars prepare for their first year at college, and for life in a career. Alumni have been invited to meet the scholars and offer words of encouragement and wisdom in various sessions. Even though I was living in Indianapolis, only a few hours from the symposium in Chicago, I never made the trip up north to attend. At times, one or two of my interviewees have won a scholarship, but I have never met any of them. Just speaking to them over the phone just fills me with hope for the future! So this year, I was determined to meet this year’s class face to face – even if I had to ride 2500 miles to do it! Attending the symposium let me see first hand how well the Foundation has adapted to support these scholars beyond their financial needs. The mentoring and guidance from the alumni that I observed during the symposium will amplify the impact that these new scholars will make in the communities in which they will serve as students, workers, and leaders. It was a thrill to spend time with everyone at the symposium. I was highlighted in their Spring Newsletter here. You can see pictures from the Symposium here.

Before and during the ride I reached out to 270 of my closest friends, former co workers, tennis buddies, family, and any other living body whose contact information I had. As of this writing, I received 60 letters from the Pullman Foundation confirming donations made on behalf of this ride. Beyond that, I know that some neighbors, parents of students I’ve tutored, former acquaintances that wrote to me, and even a few strangers along the ride had contributed as well. The letters don’t tell me any of the donation amounts. Becky and I did put up the $2,500 just before the start of the ride. I was absolutely floored when I was at the Symposium on May 21st when they introduced me and announced that $10,000 had been donated because of the ride!

I cannot begin to thank all those who followed the blog, gave me words of encouragement, likes and comments to the Facebook posts, emails, and the financial support to the Foundation. At the top of the list has to be my wife, Becky. She has supported me through 4 of these adventures that leave her alone for more than a month. She has helped in the planning, transportation, coaching and a listening ear at night. For this trip, Ron Schleif helped share the misery of the headwinds, the cost of the hotels, and the joy of the adventure. His wife, Carol carried our panniers the first few days and shuttled us between the “No Man’s Land” between Barstow and Needles California. Ken Gill drove from Arkansas to meet us near Joplin, MO. Mike Theurich gave us lots of tips and met us along a roadside in Missouri. My brother Mike drove out to relieve us of our panniers in Wilmington, IL. He also gave us a place to stay, transportation to the airport, and a fun round of golf. My son drove up from Louisville to visit me in Chicago Heights. My daughter and her husband made a generous donation and gave me some tire tips. I got responses from co-workers at HP and Logicalis. The tennis community here in Olympia was very supportive. Classmates from high school, family members I don’t get to see very often also contributed. The University of Illinois Alumni Newsletter had a mention in the “Class Notes” section of their Summer 2026 Magazine.

It was quite a ride and a fine finish in Sweet Home, Chicago!

The Lone Rider