Palatine High Booster Club Receives $10,000 Donation
The PHS Pirate Boosters organization is pleased to announce the establishment of the Charlotte M. and Robert C. Donahue Millennium Scholarship Fund. This fund has been made possible through a generous donation of $10,000 from the Donahue children which will be used to award $1,000 scholarships to deserving Palatine High School graduating senior students. One scholarship will be awarded for each of the next ten years beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year.
The Donahue children, Andy and Patric, approached the PHS Pirate Boosters to make a donation in their parents' name. The Booster Board voted unanimously to create a special scholarship in the Donahue family name. Charlotte and Robert were long-time volunteers, not just for Palatine High School, but also in the Palatine community. Robert served on the CCSD15 school board and also served with the Palatine Jaycees. Both Charlotte and Robert were supporters of the athletic programs at PHS, and were regular attendees at Pirate sporting events, where Andy played quarterback for the Pirates and Pat was an offensive linebacker. Pat is a member of the class of 1968 and Andy is a member of the class of 1974.
Throughout their years in Palatine, the Donahue house was a gathering place for the neighborhood. According to the boys, "Our parents knew all our friends, and our house was the place where everyone came to play. They set the bar high for achieving success not only in academics, but in sports as well. Our parents set a good example for the two of us, and we retain wonderful memories from our Palatine High School years."
Charlotte Donahue passed away in 1978 at the age of 52 as a result of breast cancer. In 1988, Robert made the move the San Francisco where he remarried. Andy and his wife Toni left the Palatine area in 1992 and now live in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Pat and his wife Sarah recently relocated to Tucson, Arizona after spending 25 years locally in Long Grove, Illinois. Despite their new geographic locations, according to Andy, "Palatine will always be home. The legacies and traditions remain."
Robert Donahue passed away in 1992. After their father's death, Andy and Pat "reflected on our parents' lives and it made us think about how our parents impacted us with all they had done. Palatine is where our parents made their home for 40 years. This is where we learned to buckle our chin straps, and how to block and tackle."
And that sense of community is what helped the boys make their decision to donate $10,000 to the PHS Pirate Boosters. According to Patric Donahue, "We've had a good experience here." Andy Donahue added, "We are trying to honor our dad and our mom. This is about our parents, in their memory."
On behalf of the ten students who will receive scholarship assistance over the next decade, the PHS Pirate Boosters extend deep gratitude for the donation the Donahue family has made to establish the Charlotte M. and Robert C. Donahue Millennium Scholarship Fund.
For more information about the PHS Pirate Boosters, visit www.phspirateboosters.com
The Palatine High School Pirate Booster Club exists to support and enrich the high school experience for our children while they attend Palatine High School.