Basketball Star Fred Broda ’68 Adds Bequest to Cash Gifts

Fred Broda ’68 was a basketball star from the moment he stepped on campus—he still holds the Foresters’ record for points in a career—but he struggled academically and as a freshman considered transferring to a less rigorous college. But by his senior year Fred was awarded a scholarship for athletics and academics, and the insurance company vice president is now a regular donor to Lake Forest College who has decided to make a significant gift of gratitude in his will.

“Academically, it was challenging; the acceleration of study from a public school to this was literally night and day,” recalls the history major. “But by my senior year I was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship—there were only 15 given in the whole country. What was especially satisfying about that is it combined athletics with academics; it made me feel like this experience was well rounded, that I got to excel in both.”

Fred is an independent consultant for The Horton Group, an insurance and employee benefits firm based in Orland Park, Illinois. The Chicago native and his wife Andrea live in Arlington Heights, about 20 miles from campus. The Athletic Hall of Famer regularly visits for sports events and reunions and has served on the alumni board and the alumni athletic committee.

It was during conversations with classmate Dave Wilber ’68, Senior Director of Gift Planning, that Fred decided to make a bequest.

“I can give a much larger sum of money eventually to the school versus what I am in position to give right now, cash-wise,” Fred says. “The school has meant a lot to me after I left: As I get older I bring my family and friends up here and they are treated royally. The bequest is a way to say thanks on a permanent basis.”"