He also started his own foundation with his wife.

The drive his parents passed down to him, his attitude of being fully involved in whatever he did and the financial support of the Pullman Foundation throughout college were all key contributors to his success.

The foundation began in 1950 after the Pullman Free School of Manual Training (Pullman Tech) board of trustees realized the $1.2 million endowment of George M.

To keep Pullman’s philanthropic vision and mission of continuing education alive, the foundation was established to administer the funds for college counseling and guidance, scholarships and other desirable purposes.

Each year, students throughout Cook County apply to receive a four-year scholarship to attend the U.S. The selection process involves reviewing each applicant’s academic success, community involvement, financial need, creativity and perseverance.

During its more than 65 years of existence, the foundation has noticed the crucial need to help Chicago college applicants fill the gap for tuition funding that federal and institutional grants are not providing.

For decades, a Pullman Foundation Scholarship provided nearly all of a scholar’s tuition, but the price to attend college has significantly increased — from 1978 to 2011, college tuition increased more than 900 percent.

In 2015, the foundation increased the maximum scholarship amount from $5,000 to $10,000 in hopes of lessening the financial burden many of the Pullman Scholars might face upon graduating. It is safe to say that many Pullman Scholar alumni agree with the Marcon family philosophy; nearly 97 percent of the foundation’s donors are recipients of the Pullman Foundation Scholarship.

The Pullman Foundation, with the help of alumni supporters like Marcon, is doing its part to ensure that a new group of students who may not have been able to afford higher education are able to attend the college of their dreams.