Who knew the kids were listening?
Traditionally, a couple should get pearls on their 30th wedding anniversary.
The Thomas sisters tweaked convention by building on the pearls of wisdom their parents imparted from the beginning and created a need-based scholarship for Evanston Township High School seniors in their parents' names.
"We wanted something more enduring and more representative of the occasion we were celebrating -- a long-term achievement of passion and commitment," Murphy Thomas said of the $20,000-plus she helped raise for the Rose and Andy Thomas Educational Fund honoring her parents' volunteer work and devotion to schools.
The Evanston couple were presented with the surprise gift in a Louisville, Ky., restaurant during a New Year's Eve party as relatives dressed in university gear looked on. Their 30th anniversary was Jan. 8.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the room," Rose, 58, said. "I was so proud of them. I turned to Andy and said, 'Whoever thought the kids were listening to us all these years?'"
The Thomases made it a habit to take their four daughters to places like local soup kitchens, inner-city schools and a Mexican orphanage so they would form bonds with others and grow compassionate in the process.
Complete story
The Thomas sisters tweaked convention by building on the pearls of wisdom their parents imparted from the beginning and created a need-based scholarship for Evanston Township High School seniors in their parents' names.
"We wanted something more enduring and more representative of the occasion we were celebrating -- a long-term achievement of passion and commitment," Murphy Thomas said of the $20,000-plus she helped raise for the Rose and Andy Thomas Educational Fund honoring her parents' volunteer work and devotion to schools.
The Evanston couple were presented with the surprise gift in a Louisville, Ky., restaurant during a New Year's Eve party as relatives dressed in university gear looked on. Their 30th anniversary was Jan. 8.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the room," Rose, 58, said. "I was so proud of them. I turned to Andy and said, 'Whoever thought the kids were listening to us all these years?'"
The Thomases made it a habit to take their four daughters to places like local soup kitchens, inner-city schools and a Mexican orphanage so they would form bonds with others and grow compassionate in the process.
Complete story
Labels: 30th anniversary, pearls, scholarship
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