A Mother's Loving Gift
By Tom O'Keefe '64, Director of Planned Giving
In September 2014, our school received an unexpected substantial gift from the estate of Mrs. Eddye Mae Tucker. The size of the gift and the fact that no one at the school had ever spoken with Mrs. Tucker piqued my curiosity to find out more about her and the motivation behind her gift.
Born in Tuscaloosa, AL in 1925, she later married and moved to Detroit where she and her husband had a son, Reginald. Reginald was a gifted student who graduated in 1973 from Detroit Catholic Central. He went on to graduate from Yale and the University of Michigan Law School. Reginald was just starting his career as an attorney in Chicago when he was killed in a tragic accident on July 4, 1984. In the following years, Mrs. Tucker supported her son's high school, however, her passion for quality education for minority students eventually led her to U of D Jesuit. She felt that the commitment of U of D Jesuit to the city of Detroit and to minority students was outstanding. Mrs. Tucker believed so strongly in our mission that, without our knowledge, she added us as a beneficiary to her estate plan.
I cannot imagine the pain that Mrs. Tucker endured following the loss of her only child. I like to think that her decision to help fund our financial aid program through a planned gift gave her some peace of mind in knowing that Reginald's legacy would continue. Mrs. Tucker's gift will perpetually benefit our students in memory of her son. My only regret is that I am not able to thank her personally on behalf of The High.