Kathleen Dallinger Memorial Bradley Engineering Scholarship
This fund was started by the estate of Kathleen A. Dallinger, in May of 2025. The purpose of the Fund is to provide annual grants to Bradley University, Peoria, IL, to be used to fund an annual scholarship (approximately $10,000) for a qualified engineering student, with preference given to a Morton High School graduate.
The Kathleen Dallinger story… written by Barb Dallinger (Kathy’s sister) -
Morton was home to Kathy her entire life. No matter where she traveled, the Village of Morton and the Morton Methodist Church filled with family and life-long friends created her trustworthy home base. Those relationships, those experiences growing up led to a gift to the Morton Community Foundation creating two scholarships.
We grew up out in the woods on North Morton Avenue. When I came home from the hospital as a December baby, our parents put me under the Christmas Tree and “gave” me to her. She often said I was her favorite gift. And she took that responsibility very seriously for her entire life. We rode the bus to school, which meant she had to make sure I got on and off it at the proper location. She was a Girl Scout with our mom as her leader which meant I was at every meeting, campout and party. Because she was older than me, she became responsible for getting me to my piano lessons and band practices once she could drive. She made sure I took typing in high school “because you will need it in college. And it wouldn’t kill you to take a little shorthand.” As young adults, we traveled out East together, hit the malls on the weekends and walked the Pumpkin Festival tents. Later in life, we advanced to Peoria Charter shopping trips and Broadway shows. I made a career out of being Kathy’s Little Sister.
She attended Jefferson Grade School, Morton Junior High School and finally Morton Township High School (MTHS Class of 1970). She went on to attend Illinois Central College and Bradley University. It was at MTHS where she found her calling in Mrs. Whitsitt’s Office Occupations work-study program. Going to class in the mornings and working at Morton Community Bank in the afternoons, plus a love of all things “administrative” resulted in a 40-year career at Caterpillar Inc. Kathy worked in numerous departments over her time at Caterpillar earning respect from many while also mentoring others to follow in her footsteps. On a trip to Myrtle Beach together, as we were watching Olga Korbet doing her Olympic Gold routine the phone rang. It was Mom calling from home. That was when she learned she had indeed passed the test and became the first Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) at Caterpillar. During her career, she traveled extensively both domestically and internationally as a part of the Caterpillar teams at CONEXPO and MINEXPO, worked at the Tucson Training and Demonstration Area. She eventually retired from the Edwards Demonstration and Training Center in 2013.
I did take typing in high school and yes, it did help me in college. I think she would be pleased to know The Kathleen Dallinger Memorial Bradley Engineering Scholarship will honor that administrative passion along with her long career at Caterpillar.
Best wishes to the applicants as they embark on their education!
Barb Dallinger, AKA Kathy’s (Very Lucky) Little Sister