Honoring a legacy and paying forward an act of kindness
The James R. Milligan Legacy Fund honors the memory of James R. Milligan, a Cambridge High School student who passed away in December 1966, at age 17, after a hunting accident. A mailroom employee at The Daily Jeffersonian and a newly inducted member of the National Honor Society at Cambridge High School at the time, James, known as Jim, was a kid who everyone liked, with plans to attend college to become a teacher.
The fund was created by Floyd and Irene Milligan, Jim’s parents, through a gift in their will. Floyd and Irene’s gift not only honors their late son’s legacy but pays tribute to a tremendous act of kindness by the National Honor Society students at Cambridge High School.
Following Jim’s death, the National Honor Society students at Cambridge High School voted to rename their chapter the James R. Milligan Memorial Chapter of the National Honor Society to recognize their fellow student and friend. In a letter to Floyd and Irene informing them of the chapter’s decision, members noted that Jim’s “memory will always live within our hearts” and that the chapter would be a living memorial to him.
Floyd and Irene were tremendously touched by the gesture and wanted a way to pay forward that act of kindness to National Honor Society students of the future.
Support the James R. Milligan Legacy Fund
Gifts to the James R. Milligan Legacy Fund are tax-deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, royalties, insurance beneficiaries and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs.
To mail your donation, please designate the fund and mail to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, 35 Public Square, Nelsonville, OH 45764.
Donations can be made online by designating the James R. Milligan Legacy Fund when donating.