(L to R): Elizabeth Summers, and her twin sisters, Josephine & Genevieve Kalile.

Elizabeth Summers Bequest

In 2010 a charitable bequest of $30,000 was given by Elizabeth Summers to the Iowa-Grant School District in honor of her two older, twin sisters – Josephine and Genevieve Kalile – who both attended the Platteville Normal School and became rural school teachers.

Upon receiving this monetary gift, the Iowa-Grant School Board decided that a portion of the money would be used annually to reward the top 10% of the 5th grade class with a certificate and monetary award, as determined by their performance on standardized tests and on the recommendation of their teachers.

Elizabeth Summers (1918-2008) was born in Fennimore to a farming family. Her parents, John and Rose Kalile, had emigrated from the country of Lebanon. Elizabeth met her husband, Norbert Summers, in LaCrosse. She worked as a secretary/receptionist at a business in LaCrosse for thirty-four years.

When Elizabeth died, her Trust made gifts totaling over $1.1 million. In addition to the Iowa-Grant bequest, the Summers Trust made gifts to a number of other public schools plus, among others, the Boscobel Health Care Foundation, Fennimore Community Scholarship Foundation, Great Rivers United Way, UW-Platteville Foundation and Caritas Lebanon Catholic Charity.