This fund was created upon receipt of an unrestricted bequest from the estate of Mary Boland.
Miss Boland (1906-2002) and her three sisters and brother were raised on a farm in Fairfax, Iowa.
They often were the only students attending the local country school.
She received her teaching certificate from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, a degree in music from Cedar Falls Teachers College and a graduate degree from Northwestern University.
In 1931, Miss Boland moved to Aurora to begin a teaching career in the East Aurora Schools. She taught at Brady, Beaupre and Oak Park Schools.
Later she was appointed supervisor of the music program at all eleven elementary schools. She retired in 1971 after nearly forty years of service.