Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting two donors to a scholarship I had received. During our lunch, the couple reminisced about the person the scholarship name was under and it made me realize the legacy people can leave behind even when they are gone.
I received the Fr. Prusynski scholarship, an Endowed Business Scholarship established to provide tuition assistance to accounting majors. Fr. Prusynski, better known as Fr. Pru, was heavily involved in UP’s activities as a whole. He will probably be best remembered as a whole for being an avid fan of the UP sports teams. He was such an avid fan that our soccer practice field is named the Rev. Chester S. Prusynski Field. During his long service at UP, he also taught accounting, explaining the accounting focus of the scholarship.
Fr. Prusysnki passed away on April 22, 2012 at the Holy Cross House in Notre Dame Indiana at the age of 91 years. While I did not have the privilege of meeting him, it was evident how he still lives through the people that did know him as I listened to the donors of the scholarship recall specific interactions with him. It was heartwarming to listen how he positively affected their lives so much so that they pass his generosity along to current students with donations.
My encounter with the donors made me think a lot about the legacy one person can leave behind. To me, a legacy means the lasting effect someone or something has on society even when they’re gone. Fr. Prusynski had a lasting effect on the people he met based on his daily interactions with them. The small things really make a difference in peoples’ lives. Fr. Prusynski exemplified this and serves as a wonderful role model to follow.
