Not many of Hon. Marvin A. Brustin’s (JD ’61) high school classmates would have voted him “senior most likely to succeed.” And no wonder. Though co-captain of the football team, he was, by his own admission, a “very casual” student, ranking squarely in the bottom quarter of his class.
In fact, Brustin’s academic performance was so lackluster that his high school career counselor advised him to pursue his part-time truck-driving job as a career.
Brustin, founder and president of the Chicago law firm of Brustin & (Milo) Lundblad (JD ’79), recently gave $50,000 to establish the Marvin and Ben Brustin Endowed Scholarship in the College of Law. The scholarship, named in part for his father, is intended for students studying public interest law, with preference given to students like Brustin—academic late bloomers with a lot of promise and determination.
After graduating from high school, Brustin did take a full-time job driving a truck, but he began to have second thoughts and decided to go to college.
Despite the obstacle of his poor high school grades, he sat for DePaul’s entrance exam and did surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that he convinced the university to enroll him on a provisional basis.
“I had always been a reader,” he says. “I guess I had a brain after all.”
After a year and a half on the dean’s list at DePaul, Brustin transferred to the University of Illinois to complete his undergraduate degree, later returning to DePaul for his law degree.
“I found out I loved to learn,” he says. “And once I started, I never looked back. I am very thankful that DePaul took a chance on me.”
His success also allowed him to indulge his love for wilderness trekking and mountain climbing. He has made many trips to Nepal, both for pleasure and as a donor helping to build libraries and fund educational programs throughout the country.
In 2000, Nepal’s prime minister named Brustin honorary consul general of the country. And last spring, the G.P. Korala Center for Peace, Democracy and Development in Nepal appointed him to its international advisory committee. Brustin also is a member of and the elected attorney for the Chicago Consular Corps, which consists of 81 consulates from throughout the world. Additionally, in Chicago, Brustin served on the RTA advisory board as well as served as chairman of the CTA board.
It was during his work as an advisor to DePaul University’s finance committee that Brustin developed his scholarship idea. “I realized that, but for DePaul, I would still be driving a truck,” he says. “Instead, I’ve had a fascinating life. My gift is a token of the gratitude and respect I have for the university.”
Source: DePaul University Advancement Communications
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