All in the Family; 55-year legacy of lofty scholarship

Posted 8/27/15

Kelley Grady, who received La Salle Univesity’s Flubacher Scholarship in April. is studying this semester in Ireland and is seen here standing by the cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. …

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All in the Family; 55-year legacy of lofty scholarship

Posted
Kelley Grady, who received La Salle Univesity’s Flubacher Scholarship in April. is studying this semester in Ireland and is seen here standing by the cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. Joseph Flubacher was an economics professor who hired Kelley’s grandfather to teach at La Salle. Her father and uncle were economics majors at La Salle, and so is Kelley. Kelley Grady, who received La Salle Univesity’s Flubacher Scholarship in April. is studying this semester in Ireland and is seen here standing by the cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. Joseph Flubacher was an economics professor who hired Kelley’s grandfather to teach at La Salle. Her father and uncle were economics majors at La Salle, and so is Kelley.[/caption]

by Jon Caroulis

La Salle University junior Kelley Grady wasn’t able to personally accept the university’s Joseph Flubacher Scholarship recently, but she was well represented. At the ceremony were her grandmother, Helen, widow of La Salle economics professor John Grady; her father Brian and her uncle John, both economics majors at La Salle, and her mother Elizabeth. (Joseph Flubacher was an economics professor who hired Kelley’s grandfather to teach at La Salle 55 years ago.)

Kelley Grady, who is currently studying at the National University of Ireland in Galway this semester, asked her grandmother to accept the scholarship on her behalf. “The school and the economics department in particular were, and still are a huge part of my grandmom's life,” said Kelley, a resident of Roxborough. “La Salle is family to her, as are many of my professors. I wanted her to accept the award because I know she feels a great connection to the school, and I am very happy to have that connection continue through my experiences at La Salle.”

Kelley said she likes economics “because it can be applied to and help explain everything in life. Everything I learn in economics is connected and helps me to understand so much about the way systems work.”

Her family's strong connection to La Salle influenced her decision to apply to the university. “La Salle has held countless positive memories for me since childhood,” she said. “In that way I suppose my family did influence my decision. However, I believe that I ultimately chose to attend La Salle because it was the school that best fit my needs and wants in a university.

“When I learned that I received the Flubacher Scholarship, I was honored and very proud of myself. The economics department holds its students to a very high standard, and I have worked hard to reach that standard for the past three years. It felt very nice to have that work recognized in such a wonderful way.”

The Flubacher Scholarship is given annually to an outstanding economics student. It was established in 1996 by grateful and generous alumni friends, and faculty to honor the late economics professor Joseph Flubacher, who was an admired and respected educator. The scholarship is open to economics or economics and international studies majors of outstanding intellectual achievement.

“It is such an honor to have been told that Kelley is receiving the Flubacher award.  She has worked tirelessly to achieve the things she has accomplished at La Salle,” Brian Grady said. “She has immersed herself in the community, volunteering for DePaul USA (which seeks to find housing for the homeless), being a member of the mock trial team, being selected for the university’s Ambassadors program, participating in the business fraternity and maintaining her honors curriculum. We could not be more proud of how Kelley has applied herself. She strives every day to learn and experience.”

Economics chairman David Robison said, “In all things, Kelley seems to show great care, respect and concern for others. In my Game Theory class, where students played a variety of games, she always took care NOT to impose costs on others, choosing to lose the games rather than compromise her values.”

La Salle University was established in 1863 through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which St. La Salle founded in 1680. Money magazine named La Salle University a “Value All-Star,” ranking it the eighth best college nationwide for adding the most value for a college education.

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