The Ties That Bind

Lynn and Jim Winikates

Alma maters matter for couples who met in college. That’s especially true for Jim Winikates (BUS ’63) and his wife, Lynn (CSH ’63), who met as DePaul classmates more than 60 years ago and have treasured their ties to the university ever since.

Jim and Lynn studied accounting and clinical laboratory science, respectively, at DePaul, and their long history as donors includes two endowed scholarships for students with financial need in DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business and College of Science and Health.

They were married three years after graduation by the late Rev. Robert Schwane, C.M., a Vincentian priest and DePaul chemistry professor who taught Lynn. She honored his memory with a dedication plaque in DePaul’s chemistry department. Jim has served on the dean’s business advisory council at the College of Business for nearly 30 years and taught accounting at the college as an adjunct faculty member after retiring from KPMG, where he was an audit partner.

“The students appreciate being taught by somebody who’s worked in the field,” says Jim, who thinks DePaul’s focus on linking academia and industry distinguish the university among its peers.

Jim Winikates with two scholarship recipients

The couple also volunteered to help lead fundraising campaigns for academic programs and made a generous bequest to DePaul. Helping current students succeed fuels their philanthropy.

“I was a first-generation college student and paid my way through college by working part time while taking classes,” says Jim. “It would be difficult for somebody today to do what I did. That’s a big difference in today’s environment, and it’s why supporting scholarships is so important.”

Jim says he appreciates DePaul’s commitment to diversity and to communities across Chicago, where he and Lynn grew up.

“When I was teaching, that was very apparent,” he says. “It was a real microcosm of the city. DePaul has come a long way from the little school under the ‘El’ tracks.”

You can join Jim and Lynn in helping others access the life-improving power of education through your planned gift. Learn how by contacting Richard S. Goode, JD at (312) 362-8605 or plannedgiving@depaul.edu.