Tressie Masocco Kozelka

(November 16, 1908 – August 2, 2000)

Eureka College alumnus (Class of 1931); Eureka College Trustee; and benefactor

According to the conventional wisdom of her times, Tressie Masocco’s life should have been one of limited opportunity due to societal constraints that were well beyond her control. Born to immigrant parents who labored in the coal mining community of Fiatt, Illinois, in Fulton County, a life of poverty and circumscribed dreams was all that she might have imagined as a child. The loss of her beloved mother (Antonia) when Tressie was only seven years old had to be a difficult thing for a child to accept, and it certainly placed additional pressures upon her father (Angelo) who had to do the best he could to raise two children on his own.

Angelo Masocco saved as much as he could so that his daughter could attend Eureka College (1927-1931) just as the Great Depression began to ravage the national economy. What the Masocco family could not provide, Eureka College provided through limited scholarship dollars and the opportunity to work in on-campus employment that could offset college tuition and fees. Tressie believed in the “American Dream” that had brought her parents to the United States, and she understood that the education she received at Eureka College could provide her with the tools that were necessary to achieve success. Hers was a trans-generational dream—she would be the embodiment of hope and opportunity that drew her parents and countless others to take a chance on having a future in a new land.

Upon graduation, Tressie Masocco became a schoolteacher and eventually a school counselor. In a career that spanned forty years she taught at various schools throughout central Illinois until her retirement in 1971. (These included: Brokaw Elementary in Fairview, Rushville High School, Oakwood Township High School, Woodruff High School, Richwoods High School, Rockford West Senior High School, and Peoria High School.) Her first job had an annual salary of $400 and in her fortieth year of teaching, her salary had reached only $15,000—she never considered herself rich, she just considered herself blessed. In her lifetime, Tressie Masocco would donate more than one million dollars to Eureka College because she appreciated the life-changing experiences that took place at this school.

Tressie’s story is one of love and the miracle of compound interest, but we should never lose sight of the love. It is highly likely that she attended more alumni events in her lifetime than any other student. By her own admission, she wrote thousands of letters to prospective students encouraging them to attend Eureka College and sharing stories about her experiences at the school. Tressie loved this institution and wanted to do everything within her power to see that it would thrive.

She became the first national president of the Eureka College Alumni Association (1949-50) and later served on the Board of Trustees (1951-57). Her biography was included in the ninth edition of Who’s Who of American Women (1990-1991).

Tressie married Robert Kozelka on July 14, 1968, in Rockford, Illinois. They resided in Peoria, Illinois.

Tressie was eventually awarded an honorary degree by Eureka College. The landscaped area known as “Tressie’s Grove” on the residential side of the campus is named in recognition of her lifelong support of Eureka College.