When he looks at the lives his adult children enjoy today, Ron McBroom thinks of the lessons they learned as students at St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in New Prague.
It is with great pride in his children – Mary, Joseph, John, James and Julie – and his late wife, Kathy, that McBroom recently announced he was making a $250,000 donation to the school. The donation is in memory of Kathy McBroom and the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Ron believes giving the money in the name of his wife of 56 years and to honor God is more important than the amount of the donation.
The donation was announced at the Starry Night fundraising dinner held Jan. 24. The donation is made without strings, he said. He wants it used where it is most needed. He knows there are many possible uses for the money but has confidence in school and parish leaders.
“They’ll use it wisely, where it is most needed,” Ron said. “This generous gift from Ron McBroom speaks volumes about his deep and sustained commitment to our Catholic school and to Catholic education as a whole,” said St. Wenceslaus School Principal Jon Kuch.
“This gift will have a meaningful impact right away. It will strengthen our ability to provide tuition assistance, enhance classroom resources, and expand opportunities for students that might otherwise be out of reach.”
“We give thanks to God for Mr. McBroom’s generosity. It’s not just the size of the gift that matters, but the heart behind it,” sad Kuch.
Besides enrolling their children there, the McBrooms are longstanding supporters of the historic school in New Prague. Not only did he and Kathy’s five children all attend St. Wenceslaus, but Kathy served on the school board for a handful of years. Their daughterin-law, Jill, taught at the school for six years. Ron has been a longtime benefactor of the school, raising $250,000 over the years through the Marathon for Non-Public Education. In the fall of 2024, he helped run a comedy night at the KC Hall. It generated about $3,400 for the Peace Center. Four years ago, he was honored with the Spirit of St. Wenceslaus Award.
The gift caught his children by surprise at first. “Yes, we were initially surprised at the amount of his donation, but that surprise wore off pretty quickly when he told us he did it to honor mom and Jesus Christ,” said Julie Miriovsky,...
To see more on this story pick up the February 5, 2026 print edition of The New Prague Times.