A Lasting Legacy of Generosity

Erna and Bernard Bringe

There are many beautiful poems written about life being like a journey on a train but none are quite as simple and elegant as the prose spoken in a very matter of fact way while conversing with Erna Tripp Bringe: people get on your train, some stay for a long time, others come on and off. One learns quickly that those relationships and encounters have created a remarkable journey for Erna and her late husband Bernard, full of purpose, inspiration, success and, some might even say, adventure.

Erna first approached the idea of including NCH in her estate plans with her primary care physician, Jongho Ham, M.D., who suggested she reach out to the Foundation. The opportunity at hand was to support a new cancer center being planned that is focused on patients and their family. Regarding the cancer center, she said, “It is a very good thing NCH is doing, I’m pleased to get in on the ground floor of it.” Erna recalled the vivid memory of her grandfather who was very sick with throat cancer when she was a child in central Illinois. Her grandfather and father had quietly helped many people during their lifetime and clearly instilled the value of generosity in Erna.

A well-educated, passionate educator, Erna taught at Forest View and Prospect High Schools, primarily short-hand and typing during the 70’s and 80’s. She also had a life-long hobby of following the Windsors and all things British royalty, so much so that in retirement she was tapped to provide extensive research for what became a best-selling book in England on the life of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Erna’s late husband Bernard worked for United Airlines and enjoyed working on genealogy in retirement. Travel and staying connected to those they have met, and often times helped during life’s journey, was especially important to them.

Erna and Bernard desired to use their success to help other people. It was something she learned as a child and never forgot. Whenever she returned home to central Illinois, it was the stories of locals that had been helped by her father and grandfather that kept their legacy alive. It is that same generous legacy NCH is so fortunate to encounter through Erna’s commitment to the cancer center. We are extraordinarily grateful. And a bit of a travel tip, a journey like Erna’s is one you don’t want to miss.