Passion for Literacy Leads to Legacy Gift

A pioneer. A force. No nonsense. Strong.

These are the words used to describe Catherine Angle.

The city’s first woman elected to the Lincoln Board of Education (1967), Catherine dedicated herself to remediating dyslexia – a languagebased learning disorder.

Her volunteer activities focused mostly on children and reading, including serving on the board of Lincoln City Libraries, Head Start, Junior League and Child Guidance Center. She volunteered extensively with Lincoln Public Schools and served on many committees related to learning disabilities. For five years, she sponsored a monthly support group for parents with children experiencing dyslexia. Along with other parents, she started a tutoring program where parents would work with students after school.

“I am thankful that my interest in children’s reading problems has given a meaningful focus in my life,” she once said.

It only made sense that Catherine would create a Legacy Society gift with the Lincoln Community Foundation that would promote a love of reading. The John & Catherine Angle Lincoln Public Library Fund is an endowed gift with the intent to help build a future library site. A second end of- life gift, the John & Catherine Angle Special Purpose Fund, reflects the couple’s interest in strong local nonprofit organizations and provides funding for governance training for nonprofit boards in Lincoln.

A brilliant mind, Catherine graduated as a 16-year old valedictorian from Lincoln High School and continued her education, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 1946.

Catherine’s husband and high school sweetheart, John, had a long career in the insurance industry, serving in executive positions with Woodmen Accident and Life and then Guardian Life in New York. The couple lived in New York between 1973 and 1989, where Catherine pursued her master’s degree in Reading and Educational Psychology at NYU and became involved with the Orton Dyslexia Society (now called the International Dyslexia Association), the country’s foremost authority on the subject.

Catherine passed away in 2017, nine years after John. She spent those years involved in many clubs and organizations that touched on her other interests including the arts, gardening and trails. LCF President, Barbara Bartle, had a personal friendship with Catherine as they shared an interest in providing resources to parents and students with dyslexia. “I have such respect for Catherine,” Barbara said. “She was a giant in the field. She influenced hundreds of educators in her commitment to see that every child learns to read.”

What is your passion? Contact to Paula Metcalf, VP for Gift Planning, at 402-474-2345 or paulam@lcf.org to talk about a way to leave a legacy gift for your favorite cause.