BAIL FAMILY DONATES $10,000 ANNUALLY TO 3 SCHOLARSHIPS
Sixty-six years ago, in 1941, a young, bright, handsome athlete, Phil Bail, from Central Catholic High School (CCHS) met and married a beautiful young woman, Katherine Wise, from St. Catherine’s High School and together they started their family. As Mr. and Mrs. Bail raised their six children, they made education a priority. They wondered as many parents wonder today, how they were going to afford Catholic educations and then college for their children. Mr. Bail admits, “Mrs. Bail never had a doubt they would all go!”
In 1940, Mr. Bail was recruited by Fred Zollner to play basketball and work for the Zollner Piston Corporation.
After starting as a machine operator at Zollners, he quickly moved up to a foreman’s position and then to production manager. Mr. Bail worked 43 years for Zollners and he accomplished great success both at work and on the Fort Wayne Pistons basketball team — a forerunner to the NBA’s Detroit Pistons basketball franchise.
Mrs. Bail quickly transitioned from young, working housewife to full-time, stay-at-home mom devoting herself to raising Phil, Jr., Mike, Jim, Patti, Rick and Steve. After Phil, Jr. graduated from CCHS, the other five Bail children graduated from Bishop Luers High School. Mike was a member of the school’s first graduating class in 1962.
After high school all six Bail children attended college and earned their bachelor degrees, four from Ball State University and two from Indiana University. After completing their undergraduate studies, the six Bail children went on to earn six graduate degrees between them.
One of their children, Rick, is giving back to the community what his parents bestowed on him…An opportunity for a young student to continue his or her education at Bishop Luers Catholic and to aspire toward college.
When Rick was asked, “Why Luers?” he responded, “I want to honor my parents. They taught my siblings and me that long-term success in life begins with a quality education, accepting personal responsibility and helping others when and how you can. Bishop Luers is a great institution that offers its students a wonderful education and the school’s culture also reinforces these other important life-lessons from my childhood. The school means quite a lot to our family.” Rick is saying “thank you” to his parents for their loving guidance, for their many sacrifices as they put the needs of their children ahead of their own and for making, not only education, but a life-long love of learning, priority-one in the Bail household.
Together Rick, his wife, Jan, and his parents decided the criteria of these scholarships. Their hope is that these scholarships will both recognize and encourage students to do great things at Bishop Luers — and perhaps a younger student might even be inspired to work a little harder at Luers in hopes of receiving one or more of these awards at the end of his/her junior year.
Bail Family Scholarships
Philip G. Bail, Sr. and Katherine D. Bail Ambassadors
A $2,500 academic and leadership scholarships awarded annually to two rising seniors (one male student and one female student) at Bishop Luers High School who possess exuberant, inclusive personalities, outstanding moral character, have demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities and who best exemplify demonstrated excellence in academic performance, intellectual curiosity and academic inquisitiveness.
Philip and Katherine Bail Personal Achievement Scholar
A $5,000 financial need-based academic scholarship awarded annually to a rising senior at Bishop Luers High School who possesses outstanding moral character, who strives to perform to the highest levels of his/her God-given talents, and who does not allow adversity to define or limit the constructive pursuit of his/her dreams.
On behalf of the entire Bishop Luers community, thank you to Rick and Jan Bail, and Mr. and Mrs. Philip Bail. Your generosity is appreciated greatly!
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