Charles J. and Dorothy B. Lynn

Charles J. Lynn (Jan. 17, 1874-Sept. 22, 1958) and Dorothy Jane Black Lynn (July 14, 1902-July 19, 1989). Charles Jackson Lynn was born in Indianapolis to William Cavasso and Harriett Kellogg Lynn. He attended Indianapolis Public Schools and worked for three small wholesale firms before joining Eli Lilly and Company in 1895. J. K. Lilly Sr. hired Lynn to open sales territories in New York, Pittsburgh, and then internationally. He implemented what became known as “The Lilly Policy” of selling exclusively through wholesalers. Lynn made his first overseas trip in 1914 and traveled the world throughout his career. He held positions of increasing responsibility, retiring in 1945 as a vice president and director.

Lynn married Celestia McEachren (1870-1942) in 1900. The couple had no children. In 1934, they purchased over 600 acres of farmland east of Carmel and developed “Lynnwood Farms” into a state-of-the-art livestock complex. Lynnwood Farms bred prize-winning Percheron draft horses, polled shorthorn cattle, and Berkshire hogs. Celestia was active on the farm until a serious automobile accident that led to her death in 1942. The same year, Lynn donated Lynnwood Farms, including buildings, equipment, and livestock, to Purdue University.

Lynn also served on the Purdue Board of Trustees, created the Lynn Fund in the Purdue Research Foundation, and established the Charles J. Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine to house the College of Veterinary Science and Medicine.

In 1945, Lynn married Dorothy Black, an Indianapolis native who was the daughter of Frank Morris and Agnes Jane Herd Black. She graduated with a degree in English from Butler University in 1923 and worked briefly for International Harvester. She then joined Eli Lilly and Company and served as Charles’s secretary.

In addition to continuing support for Purdue, the Lynns shared many interests in philanthropy, including Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis Red Cross, Young Men’s Christian Association, and the Public Health Nurses Association. The Lynns donated 20 acres and $1 million for construction of the new Second Presbyterian Church on North Meridian Street. Queen Elizabeth II awarded Charles Lynn the Honorary Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for founding the English Speaking Union in Indianapolis. The Lynns bequeathed a major gift to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, for which the planned giving society, the Lynn Society, is named. The couple and Dorothy’s sister Mary Black each donated over $1 million to Hanover College.

Dorothy Lynn remained active in social life and philanthropy following her husband’s death. She served as president of the English Speaking Union and supported the Visiting Nurses Association, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and Second Presbyterian Church. Dorothy Lynn served on the Women’s Committee North Group of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Dorothy actively supported Butler University during her lifetime, receiving Butler’s highest honor, the Butler Medal, in 1975. She created the Dorothy Black Lynn Fund for Faculty Support and Library Acquisitions with a bequest gift. She served as a Hanover College trustee from 1958-1985.

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