This article originally appeared in the fall 2017 edition of the School of Education's magazine, Advancing. To view a PDF, click here.

Couple honors aunt with bequest in her name

A charitable bequest by community leaders Jim and Claudia Looney will establish the Aunt Mabel Looney Endowed Fund for Teacher Education. Endowment income will be used for research and programmatic opportunities in teacher education, with particular emphasis on early literacy. This new endowment creates tremendous opportunity to translate research into illustrations of best practices for teachers, administrators and parents.

​Aunt Mabel taught first grade in the Buena Park school district for over 45 years and never missed a day! There is now a school named in her honor in Buena Park. The new endowment permanently recognizes her dedication to developing lifelong learners and productive citizens. Through years of service, she positively impacted the lives of countless children and families in our community.

Claudia and Jim Looney

"Creating the Aunt Mabel Looney Endowed Fund for Support of Teacher Education is our way to ensure that Aunt Mabel’s legacy lives on through the work of future teachers and educators," said Jim and Claudia Looney.