Letter 9 - She Retired After 67 Years - And Left $1,000,000!

Hello Bregdan Woman,

I want you to walk back into time with me. The year was 1951. America was in turmoil – recovering from World War II and grappling with civil rights.

It’s also the year that Lillian Orlich became a high school history teacher in Prince William County, Virginia. It’s a beautiful area on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. She quickly became known as “Ms. O”.

I have so much fun writing about teachers. Every teacher is special, but in a world of crowded classrooms, underfunded schools, and underpaid teachers, there are bright shining lights that leave an astounding legacy. This Bregdan Woman was one of them.

From the very beginning, she was determined to give her all to her students. For decades she was the first person to arrive at the school – usually by 3:00 AM – even on those cold Virginia mornings. She wanted to get all the paperwork out of the way so that she could focus on what was important – the students.

I can imagine every other teacher knew they could never meet the bar she set! They probably just watched her with awe – and maybe a little envy.

Eventually, they just gave her the keys to the school so she could open up each day! She worked through the summers… she brought food to the staff every Monday.

In my world, that’s what you call an overachiever – or maybe just an astounding Bregdan Woman!

You see, the school was more than just a place of learning. It had become Mrs. O’s family – her relatives. Teaching wasn’t a job – it was her life. It was her purpose.

She was passionate about history, but she was more passionate about the impact she could have on young lives. She made it her mission to know everybody – yes, everybody.

I can see her weaving her way through the school, her eyes watching for those who needed her the most on that particular day. She would talk to the students and interact with them, making sure they knew she cared about their life – not just what they were learning in her classroom.

She kept this up through the Civil Rights Movement, school integration, Vietnam, protests… everything that happened in the United States of America for 67 years!

She also wanted the best for the students, so she made sure they were on top of what they needed to do to succeed in life. She asked them the questions they needed answers to. Questions like:

“What are your plans?”

“Did you get your applications in on time?

“Did you get your scholarship applications in on time?”

She did this for 67 years.

67 years!

It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around that number. 40 years is considered a long career. When she hit 65, she saw no reason to retire from what she loved to do with all her heart. You retire from work. She never saw teaching as work. It was pure joy to her.

She saw no reason to stop making a difference in young people’s lives. She never married, and she had no biological offspring, but she definitely had countless children.

She probably didn’t want to retire at 89 either. I’m certain it was a sad day for her when she had to turn in her key to the school and not be the first to arrive at 3:00 AM.

I can imagine her looking back over her shoulder with tears in her eyes when she closed the door to her classroom for the last time.

Over the course of her career, she taught teenagers… she taught their parents… she taught their grandparents.

Talk about an astounding legacy!

It was also a legacy that did not end when she retired. 6 years later, when she died in 2024 at the age of 95, she gave her last gift.

$1,000,000.

She had always lived frugally but knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life savings. The gift she gave was given to continue the work she had started when she retired.

Oh, you thought she retired and went home to sit and knit. Not hardly. She started an education foundation for the Prince William County schools called SPARK.

The $1 million donation was given to SPARK. It is being used to expand a scholarship Mrs. O set up with SPARK after retiring. It has already benefitted dozens of students who received cash grants for college – expanding her legacy.

The money is also being distributed across the foundation’s six focus areas, which include STEM education; social and emotional learning; digital innovation; school improvement; and particularly on educator preparedness, because Mrs. O was so passionate about teaching.

I’m positive that her greatest dream was that her gift will inspire others to be the kind of teacher she was. For generations to come.

She asked for this message to be included in her own obituary: “I am survived by the many lives helped and touched by my teaching, loving and caring.”

I cried when I read that. I hope my own obituary will say that.

Mrs. O left a legacy that thousands will remember and honor for years to come.

Are you ready for your question?

What will your legacy be?

Take some time to think about it carefully. We all leave one – even if we’re not aware of it.

What will your legacy be?

If you’re not satisfied with your answer, NOW is the time to start creating the legacy you want to leave.

As long as you’re still breathing, I believe you can continue to make a difference!

Please share this with others – igniting a passion for more women to be Bregdan Women – committed to leaving a legacy!

Before I go, one more question:

What will you do today to impact history??

I’m on this journey with you!

Ginny