Kathleen Dallinger Memorial ICC Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund
This fund was started by a gift from the estate of Kathleen A. Dallinger, in May of 2025. The purpose of the Fund is to provide annual grants to Illinois Central College (ICC), E. Peoria, IL, to be used to fund an annual scholarship (approximately $102,000) for a qualified Culinary Arts student, with preference given to a Morton High School graduate.
The Kathleen Dallinger story… written by Barb Dallinger (Kathy’s sister) -
Morton was home to Kathy her entire life. No matter where she traveled, the Village of Morton and the Morton Methodist Church filled with family and life-long friends created her trustworthy home base. Those relationships, those experiences growing up led to a gift to the Morton Community Foundation creating two scholarships.
We grew up out in the woods on North Morton Avenue. When I came home from the hospital as a December baby, our parents put me under the Christmas Tree and “gave” me to her. She often said I was her favorite gift. And she took that responsibility very seriously for her entire life. We rode the bus to school, which meant she had to make sure I got on and off it at the proper location. She was a Girl Scout with our mom as her leader which meant I was at every meeting, campout and party. Because she was older than me, she became responsible for getting me to my piano lessons and band practices once she could drive. She made sure I took typing in high school “because you will need it in college. And it wouldn’t kill you to take a little shorthand.” As young adults, we traveled out East together, hit the malls on the weekends and walked the Pumpkin Festival tents. Later in life, we advanced to Peoria Charter shopping trips and Broadway shows. I made a career out of being Kathy’s Little Sister.
She attended Jefferson Grade School, Morton Junior High School and finally Morton Township High School (MTHS Class of 1970). She went on to attend Illinois Central College and Bradley University. It was at MTHS where she found her calling in Mrs. Whitsitt’s Office Occupations work-study program. Going to class in the mornings and working at Morton Community Bank in the afternoons, plus a love of all things “administrative” resulted in a 40-year career at Caterpillar Inc. Kathy worked in numerous departments over her time at Caterpillar earning respect from many while also mentoring others to follow in her footsteps. On a trip to Myrtle Beach together, as we were watching Olga Korbet doing her Olympic Gold routine the phone rang. It was Mom calling from home. That was when she learned she had indeed passed the test and became the first Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) at Caterpillar. During her career, she traveled extensively both domestically and internationally as a part of the Caterpillar teams at CONEXPO and MINEXPO, worked at the Tucson Training and Demonstration Area. She eventually retired from the Edwards Demonstration and Training Center in 2013.
Kathy loved everything about cooking. Cooking itself, cooking shows on television, cooking stores, cooking presentations, cooking exhibits. If one of our shopping adventures included a cooking store, that was the highlight of the trip. The kitchen at the Morton Methodist Church was a favorite place of hers. She could always be counted on to help with the post-funeral lunches at the church, their weekly family dinners, special events and holidays. She loved working with the children on their skills and sharing special treats with family and friends. A favorite instructor at Lori’s Kitchen in Washington, she made her classes fun and interactive. At the time of her passing, we were working on a possible joint class called Sisters in the Kitchen filled with family recipes and photos. The Kathleen Dallinger Memorial Culinary Arts Scholarship at Illinois Central College will reflect her love of cooking and recognize her pride in ICC’s outstanding culinary arts program.
Best wishes to the applicants as they embark on their education!
Barb Dallinger, AKA Kathy’s (Very Lucky) Little Sister
For those interested in applying for this scholarship, click the button below…
To make a tax-deductible donation to this endowment fund, you can:
Give online by clicking the button below.
Donate by check: Make it payable to Morton Community Foundation and mail it to 135 S First Ave, Morton, IL 61550. Please write “K. Dallinger - Bradley” on the memo line.
Make a tax-advantaged gift of stock…Visit our stock gifting page by clicking HERE.
Are you a Caterpillar Employee or Retiree?
The Caterpillar Foundation is proud to offer the year-round Matching Gifts Program to support their employees, U.S. retirees and board of directors in their contributions to worthy causes. Eligible Caterpillar participants may request an annual total maximum 1:1 match of $10,000 USD each calendar year to eligible charities to which contributions are tax deductible. The Morton Community Foundation is an eligible charity. So, if you are an eligible Caterpillar participant, you may submit any donations to this fund for an equivalent match, up to your total maximum of $10,000 per year. CLICK HERE to link to the Caterpillar Foundation’s Matching Gift website.