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Incorporation Information
The Korean War Educator Foundation was incorporated in the State of Illinois as a non-profit on October 1,
2000. The articles of incorporation are on file in the Secretary of State's office, Springfield, Illinois, under
File Number 6138-369-7. They are also filed in the office of the Douglas County Clerk, Douglas County
Courthouse, Tuscola, Illinois, in Book 590, page 257. The Foundation is also registered under the Charitable
Trust and The Solicitation for Charity Act in the Charitable Trusts Bureau, Office of the Illinois Attorney
General, 3rd Floor, 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601 (ph. 312-814-2595). The registration number
assigned to the Foundation is CO#01038346. The Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number of the Korean War Educator
Foundation is 138619254.
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Stated Purpose
The purpose of the Korean War Educator Foundation is to establish and maintain a website on the World Wide
Web that will disseminate information and materials to educate the general public about the Korean War. The
Foundation will also disseminate similar materials to members of the general public who do not have access to
the World Wide Web. The Foundation will locate Korean War veterans worldwide to obtain full-length interviews
about their pre-military, military, and post-military experiences. The interviews shall be preserved and used
for educational purposes. The Foundation shall operate exclusively for educational and charitable purposes."
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Founder and Founding Directors
The organization's founder and registered agent is Lynnita
Jean Brown, 111 E. Houghton Street, Tuscola, Illinois 61953. The other two founding directors are Norma Jean
Aldridge Copas and Dennarda Kay Hubert. Lynnita Brown is the Foundation's chief executive officer. There are no
elections. Lynnita controls the Korean War Educator and makes no apologies for doing so.
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Foundation Finances
The financial accounts for the Korean War Educator Foundation were originally located in Villa Grove State
Bank, Villa Grove, IL 61956. Those accounts were closed in 2003, and new ones were opened at the 1st
Mid-Illinois Bank in Tuscola. There are three savings accounts (Endowment, Web Hosting, and Legal Defense) and a
checking account. Bank print-outs of income/expenditure transactions are in the care of Lynnita Brown, Korean
War Educator, 111 E. Houghton Street, Tuscola, IL 61953.
Effective September 2003, the Korean War Educator Foundation became a membership-driven organization. Its
primary source of income is derived from membership dues, and private and corporate donations. An application
for federal tax-exempt status for the foundation was filed with the Internal Revenue Service on August 20, 2001.
On January 29, 2002, an advance ruling was made determining that the Korean War Educator Foundation is exempt
from federal income tax under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in
section 501 (c) (3). The advance ruling period is now at an end, and Form 8734 (Support Schedule for Advance
Ruling Period) was completed and mailed to the IRS in Covington, Kentucky, on March 17, 2005. Donations to The
Korean War Educator Foundation can be included as deductions when you file your income tax return. Copies of the
IRS determination letter are available upon request through Lynnita Brown, 111 E. Houghton St., Tuscola, IL
61953.
The Foundation's treasury was started with a single $25.00 contribution from Jo Quick of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
to Lynnita in March of 2001. The check was given in memory of Jo's husband, Wil Quick. Wil was a Korean War
veteran who participated in an interview with Lynnita just weeks prior to his unexpected death. His
tape-recorded memoirs with Mrs. Brown are the only ones that he documented in his lifetime. The $25.00 donation
from his widow opened the Korean War Educator Foundation's account at Villa Grove State Bank. Korean War H-3-7
Marines gave a $200 contribution in May of 2001, and this was followed by a $1,000 donation from 1-7 Marine
reunion participants in Branson, Missouri, the same month. Contributions to the Foundation in memory of Army
veteran Al Gavin of Wisconsin also boosted the original funds in the Foundation's treasury. The KWE's checking
account was opened at 1st Mid-Illinois Bank, Tuscola, in 2003, following a $5,000 grant from McCormick-Tribune
Foundation. Its savings account (Endowment Fund) was opened at 1st Mid-Illinois Bank, Tuscola, in September 2003
with funds from life membership dues. A second savings account (Web Hosting Fund) was opened in 2005 to
hold cash donations to pay for the annual web hosting fee to keep the KWE online.
The Korean War Educator website is hosted by HostMySite
at a cost of $107.40 a year. The biggest portion of funds expended by the foundation to date is for the
production and maintenance of this website. The original webmaster was Marine Corps veteran Julian Blagg of
Tuscola (now deceased), who did not charge a salary for his hundreds of hours of work to make this website
possible. Instead, the Foundation reimbursed him for computer programs, office products, the printing of
brochures, other printing costs, limited labor, and some expenses associated with the scanning of the many
graphics which added to the quality of the Korean War Educator website. When Blagg retired from his computer
work, the Korean War Educator contracted Simplified Computers in Champaign, Illinois to do the web work for the
Korean War Educator at a non-profit rate of $30.00 per hour. Additionally, Ron Janowski, then webmaster, donated
time when possible to make updates and maintain the site. Current webmaster, Jim Doppelhammer, likewise donates
most of his time and efforts towards the website design and maintenance. Receipts are on file in Lynnita's
office regarding each expenditure. The KWE is listed on GuideStar, the National Database for Non-profit
Organizations, at www.guidestar.org.
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Tax Information
To date, the Korean War Educator Foundation has an annual income that falls well below the Internal Revenue
Service requirement ($25,000 annual income) to file Tax Form 990EZ. However, CEO Lynnita Brown annually fills
out a 990EZ as a means to keep the public informed about the Korean War Educator's finances. These are not
filed with the IRS. They are, however, submitted to the Illinois State Attorney General's Charitable Trust
Bureau to comply with the state's annual filing requirements. They are also posted on the KWE (see below)
because the Korean War Educator Foundation has no problem with allowing public scrutiny of its income and
expenses. Further inquiries may be directed to: Lynnita Jean Brown, 111 E. Houghton St., Tuscola, IL
61953; ph. 217-253-4620.
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Other Foundation Expenses
Although there are no salaries involved with the maintaining of this website, there are expenses and needs
that must be met on a regular basis. They include the following:
- Lynnita's monthly Mediacom bill for internet connection: $104.85
- Ink cartridges (HP Photosmart C3150 All-in-One Printer-Scanner-Copier (HP Inkjet print cartridges #92 &
#93) for Lynnita's printer
- Postage
- Telephone calls to veterans
- 90-minute cassette tapes to record interviews with Korean War veterans.
- Travel/hotel expenses (none of which, with the exception of $100 gifts from Martin Markley and John
Kronenberger, have been paid by anyone but Lynnita to date) to attend reunions of Korean War veterans
In addition to the above general expenses, there are two urgent problems that face The Korean War Educator
Foundation, and which directly relate to this website. Both concern manpower.
Problem # One
All of the text for the Korean War Educator website is personally typed by Lynnita Brown. Lynnita is a
fast and accurate typist, but that doesn't change the fact that she is only one person, and there is a ton
of information waiting to be posted on this website. That information includes unit histories, casualty
lists, general information about the Korean War, photo captions, magazine articles, pamphlet texts,
veterans' memoirs, and much, much more. It would be a dream come true if there were funds available to hire
local typists on a per-page basis to type the needed text onto computer discs for the webmaster. Remember -
Lynnita does not ask or receive financial compensation for her work with Korean War veterans. The mother of
a high schooler, Lynnita is the paid, part-time director of the Douglas County Museum. She also runs her own
business in Tuscola, Illinois. She does the typing for The Korean War Educator whenever she can, but
she can only do this on a part-time basis. She definitely needs some typing assistance.
Problem # Two
This is the most difficult problem of the two. Since 1996, Lynnita has conducted in-person interviews
with Korean War veterans. Unlike some interviewers who only ask about a particular battle, Lynnita
interviews Korean War veterans in a comprehensive way. She asks questions about the veterans' pre-military,
military, and post-military lives in order for the general public to understand more completely the
background and nature of Korean War veterans in general. This type of questioning resulted in interviews
that range in length from three to six hours. The entire collection is a treasure trove of American/Korean
War history. Now the problem: how to transcribe thousands of hours of tape-recorded interviews with Korean
War veterans? Lynnita has done some of the transcribing, but her time is also tied up with everything
mentioned in Problem #One. Her niece, Buffy Topper, does some of the transcribing, but Mrs. Topper is a
full-time court reporter in Arkansas, so her time is also limited. What good is this massive "treasure trove
of American/Korean War history" if it cannot be accessed by the general public? Some way must be found to
get those tapes transcribed and made available to scholars and researchers. The information found within the
interviews should be included in books to educate the public about the Korean War.
The Solution
Corporate or private funding of this project is the only answer to this dilemma. That is why the Korean
War Educator Foundation was created, and why it needs sponsors and members. Whether you donate as an
individual, veterans group, business, or corporation, your financial contributions will help further the
work of the Korean War Educator Foundation. Send your donations (all increments welcome) to: The Korean War
Educator Foundation, c/o Lynnita Brown, 111 E. Houghton Street, Tuscola, IL 61953. The names of all
sponsors/donors are posted on this website.
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Fiscal Responsibility
Have you been disappointed with a "non-profit" organization whose governing body or some corrupt official
spent funds unwisely or illegally? A unique policy of the Korean War Educator Foundation is to post all of its
income and expenditures for public viewing on this website. Direct all financial inquiries to Lynnita Brown.
Your queries will be answered with honesty.
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