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Meehan Memorial Gift

Joe D. Meehan was born in Lincoln, NE and, with several moves, attended Huntington Elementary, Jackson High School and Lincoln Northeast High School. Meehan was drafted into the Army in 1943, where he began to collect memorabilia of World War II. Besides being an active collector and curator of a World War II museum, Joe was an active member of the Sesotris Shriners. He gave generously to many organizations and set up a scholarship to help Northeast High School students attend college, the Joe Meehan Class of 1943 Scholarship.

Joe Meehan passed away on February 20th, 2018. His estate announced that he would be donating over $900,000 to ten local organizations, including the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. The amount of each gift was to be announced seven months following his death.

Randy Fleming, Meehan’s long-time friend, didn’t know about Meehan’s plans to donate before he passed but wasn’t surprised that he had done this. “He knew who he wanted to give this too; he chose every one of them,” said Fleming. “Joe never had difficulty making decisions. I think some of [the organizations] will be kind of surprised by how generous he is going to be.”

During a luncheon on September 27th, seven months after his death, his estate announced what each organization would be receiving. We were very honored to receive a gift of over $127,000 to help Northeast students attend college. “The LNE Meehan Scholarship provides a great opportunity for Northeast students who need financial assistance and give back to their community as Joe Meehan did,” said Wendy Van, president of the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. “We are greatly honored by this gift on behalf of Joe Meehan. We are grateful to him and his family.”

The LNE Meehan Scholarship joins many scholarships which support graduating seniors at Northeast High School. “With the help of this scholarship, I will begin on the path to becoming a pediatric surgeon. Just as the Northeast athletic family always taught me, dream big and never give up on those goals. On top of [this], I have joined the Red Cross as a volunteer to give back to my community as well as swearing into the Army Reserve. I thank you again for giving me the privilege of receiving this scholarship and lifting the financial burden to achieve these goals.” said Jordyn Casados, who graduated from Northeast in 2017 and received the Lincoln Northeast Athletic Booster Club Scholarship.

The Numbers

  • Schools Served

    74

  • Focus & Specialty Programs Served

    15

  • Students Empowered

    41,635

  • Teachers & Staff Supported

    6,625

  • Funds Received This Year

    $4.30M

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