JA of Lincoln Celebrates Golden Anniversary

Author: JA Lincoln
Community Involvement
Published: Monday, 03 May 2021

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Image caption: JA Lincoln 50th Logo

2021 is a major milestone for Junior Achievement of Lincoln, and we’re celebrating all year long! This is our golden anniversary, marking 50 years of serving the students of Lincoln and beyond.

Over the next several months, we are looking back to see where we've come from since 1971. Each month for next 5 months, we'll go through the decades and showcase stories of the people and organizations that have shaped Junior Achievement of Lincoln over the years.

Beginning with the 1970s, it’s only fitting that we begin with JA of Lincoln’s founder and some of its earliest champions. For a full rundown of what JA of Lincoln looked like in the 1970s, visit this page: https://lincoln.ja.org/about-ja/opportunity/celebrating-50-years-of-junior-achievement-of-lincoln

Image caption: Dan Remigio, 1919-2018 JA of Lincoln Founder

Any history of JA of Lincoln has to begin with Dan Remigio, Junior Achievement of Lincoln Founder. In 1971, Dan Remigio – plant manager at Goodyear – with help from other community leaders, brought Junior Achievement to Lincoln, chartering Junior Achievement of Lincoln as a national Junior Achievement franchised office. Goodyear, with Dan’s continued support, donated the JA building at no cost to Junior Achievement, housing Junior Achievement until 2006. Goodyear continues to be a strong supporter of JA to this day. Dan passed away in 2018, leaving an incredible legacy. Read more about him here.

Image caption: Ken Carlson

Another name that will always be linked with JA of Lincoln is Ken Carlson, who was hired in 1977 as President of Junior Achievement of Lincoln and held the position until 2009 - 32 years! Ken created a strong partnership between Lincoln’s business community and its schools - with Junior Achievement as the conduit. That partnership has been key to JA’s growth and impact throughout the decades. Lincoln businesses support JA through volunteers and financial support. Lincoln’s schools and educators continue to rely on JA to be a connection between the community and the classroom to show kids what is possible when they dream big and work hard. Read Ken’s story here.

Image caption: Todd Duncan Chairman, Duncan Aviation

As we look back at the 1970s, we also want to celebrate the longtime support of JA of Lincoln from Duncan Aviation and its Chairman, Todd Duncan. Junior Achievement of Lincoln’s mission in the 1970s was to empower young people to understand, appreciate and experience the free enterprise system. The JA Company Program gave Lincoln’s high school students an opportunity to fill a need or solve a problem in their community by launching their own start-up business, thereby unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit. Local businesses and their employees mentored students during the 13-week program. This program ran until 2006 and gave thousands of Lincoln high school students a first-hand, engaging introduction to entrepreneurship. Read more from Todd here.

These three individuals are just a few of so many people and organizations that have been integral to JA of Lincoln growing and thriving for the last 50 years, and we can’t wait to introduce you to more of them over the coming months. Here’s to the next 50 years of building a better future, one classroom at a time!