Judy Dunham nee Behrens
3-24-1937 / 8-30-2002
______________________________
| 1. Ralph BEHRENS
| * Evelyn CHRISTIAN
| | 2. Judy BEHRENS b:3-24-1937 Aurora IL d:8-30-2002 LaJolla CA bur: Sprniglake Cemt., Kane Co. Aurora IL OBIT: Aurora Beacon News, Aurora IL: Judy Behrens Dunham, 65, of Aurora passed away on Friday, August 30, 2002 at her LaJolla, CA. home after an extended illness.    She was born March 24, 1937 in Aurora, IL., the daughter of the late Ralph and Evelyn (Christian) Behrens.   Mrs. Dunham graduated from Oswego High School in 1955 and the Copley School of Nursing in 1958. She was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by Aurora University in 1996.   At the time of her death she was on the Board of Directors of Plum Landing and an advisor to the Dunham Fund. In honor of both John and Judy Dunham, the School of Business at Aurora University bears their name. In addition to this, a lasting legacy to both John and Judy of which they are especially proud, is the Dunham scholars Program at Aurora University.    Mrs. Dunham was the loving wife of John C. Dunham and sister of Joyce (Pedro) Behrens Serna and a dear friend to many.    A Wake will be held for Mrs. Dunham on riday, September 6, 2002 from 3:00-8:00 PM at Dieterle Memorial Home, Montgomery. Services will be on Saturday, September 7, 2002 at 11:00 AM at Aurora University Dunham Hall Atrium, 1400 Marseillaise Place, Aurora where friends may visit at the hall from 10:00 AM until time of services. Mr. Joe Dunham will officiate. Burial will follow in Springlake Cemetery.  Dieterle Memorial Home,  1120 S. Broadway (Rt. 25), Montgomery, IL 60538, (630) 897-1196, Richard Osborn - Director
| | * John C. DUNHAM
| | 2. Joyce BEHRENS
| | * PEDRO SERNA
   
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Judy Dunham, nurse, philanthropist, dies at 65
By Jim Faber
STAFF WRITER AURORA BEACON NEWS, AURORA IL
  AURORA — To Judy Dunham, the Dunham Scholars program she and her husband, John, created wasn't just a way to show philanthropy in Aurora.
  It was a way to mentor Aurora University students and watch those young men and women grow and improve.
  "It was always fun to sit near Judy at those dinners, because she would tell me how each particular student had changed," Aurora University President Rebecca Sherrick said Thursday.
  Judy Dunham died Friday, Aug. 30, in LaJolla, Calif., at the age of 65.
  John Dunham, who rose through the ranks of Equipto Co. to become chairman of the company, and his wife were great friends of Aurora University and philanthropic groups in Aurora.
  John Dunham, 91, survives.
  "They thought education was the most important thing for our country to survive," said Joyce Behrens-Serna, 58, Judy Dunham's sister.
  In creating the Dunham Scholars program, which covers full tuition for 15 juniors and seniors majoring in business fields, the Dunhams wanted a scholarship that offered students more than the facts and figures.
  "Their vision of a business graduate was one who would be well-rounded, a responsible citizen and a community volunteer," Sherrick said, "and that became our vision of what the student should be, too."
  Sheldon Stahl, a business and economics professor who runs the Dunham Scholars program, said Judy Dunham was a caring, pleasant woman who was enormously pleased with what she helped create at Aurora University.
  "She took great pride in mixing and mingling with the students," Stahl said.
  A graduate of the Copley School of Nursing, Judy Dunham worked as a general floor nurse, a head nurse, a pharmacy nurse, a private-duty nurse and an intensive-care unit nurse during her lifetime of employment in Aurora, Chicago and California, Behrens-Serna said.
  "She enjoyed helping people," she said. "Judy didn't like to see people sick. She wanted to get them on the road again."
  It was that same giving spirit that led Judy Dunham to invite her sister to use her LaJolla home for her wedding to Pedro Serna last year.
  "I was thrilled she wanted us to do that," Behrens-Serna said.
  Judy Dunham served on the board of directors for Plum Landing Retirement Community in Aurora for almost two decades.
  "She was a real godsend for Plum Landing," Don Mangers, executive director of the community, said. "When she got involved in something, it went forward. It didn't die on the table."
  Judy Dunham led efforts to keep the interior design of Plum Landing attractive and up to date, sometimes working with decorators to make sure things were done right, Mangers said.
  "We've been around 40 years and a building can get old," he said. "Judy made sure that didn't happen."
  Sherrick and Stahl agree that Judy Dunham's legacy is a living one that will give back to Aurora as Dunham Scholars graduate and start careers.
  "Judy was very much committed to the Dunham Scholars program," Stahl said. "There's no question from my point of view that is her legacy, certainly to us at Aurora University."
  In 1999, Aurora University's business school was renamed the John and Judy Dunham School of Business and Professional Studies.
  Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. today at Dieterle Memorial Home in Montgomery. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dunham Hall Atrium.
Contact Jim Faber at (630) 844-5889 or [email protected].
09/06/02