In 1986, Eileen Perlson, then 73 and a long-retired secretary, visited the Milwaukee Jewish Day School and sat in on a Judaic studies class.
“I was dumbfounded by those eight- and nine-year olds,” she told The Chronicle for an article published Sept. 17, 1999. “They fired questions right back at [the teacher] with such thought that I almost fell off my chair.”
She made more visits, and “soon, I fell in love with the school and everything in it,” she said. Moreover, she developed particular affection for the kindergarten class: “The kindergarten is the base of the school,” she said, and besides, “The little kids are so smart. You can’t get anything past them.”
She promised then to leave a bequest to the school. She died on Feb. 11 at age 85, and this fund is now being established.
Perlson’s trustee and personal representative Bert Bilsky, associate executive vice president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and former executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation, said the starting amount of this fund is around $800,000 — which represents her entire estate’s net worth.
“She was thrilled she could do this,” Bilsky said in an interview March 3. Bilsky had worked with her for many years on this and other matters, and “She was very focused on leaving this money for the school,” he said.
And in an email, Brian King, MJDS head of school, wrote: "Eileen Perlson, after whom our kindergarten is named, had been a fixture of our kindergarten program for many years. Whether by attending kindergarten events, spending a couple of hours in the classroom, or giving generously to the program, Eileen made a lasting impact on MJDS. Her generosity continues to help MJDS provide the highest quality kindergarten program for our students. The children will miss her; our staff will miss her; our community will miss her."
To read more, see the April issue.
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