An anonymous gift recently given to Clarke College in Dubuque has an unusual story that goes back over 50 years.
Dar Danielson reports:Clarke report
A plain white envelope addressed to Clarke College President, Sister Joanne Burrows, arrived with a Chicago postmark and her secretary’s name listed as the sender. Burrow says her secretary said she didn’t send the letter, so she thought it was some type of complaint about something some student had done or the college had done — but when she opened the envelope, she found five crisp 100-dollar bills and “an incredible note.”
The letter said the person had stolen a portable radio from the teacher’s lounge at the school over five decades ago, and they wanted to apologize and give something for the faculty’s enjoyment. Burrows says it’s a great story that “illustrates it is never too late to right our wrongs.”
Burrows says that’s what so moving about the story, is “at last after all this time they can go to bed with a clean conscience and a peacefulness around it.” Burrows says they will use the money as the sender intended. Burrows says they will put the money in a pool for faculty socials and entertainment activities for things like parties that give the faculty a break while doing grades during exam week.
Clarke is a Catholic college with an enrollment of about 1,200 that was established in Dubuque in 1843.