Kalczynski & Sandhu Families Honored
2025 Recipients of the Edmund Rice Tuition Warrior Award
The Kalczynski & Sandhu Families
founders of the
Ron Kalczynski & Chain S. Sandhu Endowed Scholarship Fund
Sharing the special bond of two families, the inspiration of two fathers, the action of two sons, and the support of the Warrior community, the Ron Kalczynski and Chain S. Sandhu Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 2008 to carry on the mission of Blessed Edmund Rice at Brother Rice High School.
Having the highest regard for a Brother Rice education, Ron Kalczynski and Chain S. Sandhu shared in the belief that education is a gift that can literally transform a life and, as such, should be accessible to all young men regardless of financial circumstances. This core value was a motivating purpose as both men achieved success in their respective fields and earned respect in their communities.
Chain S. Sandhu was a firm believer in the value of education. Equally important was his commitment to providing the opportunity for education through scholarship. As an engineer and former educator, Chain Sandhu arrived in the United States in 1969 with his wife and son and $8 in his pocket. He was drawn to the opportunity and entrepreneurial spirit of America. Working his way from the assembly line and up the engineering ranks at General Motors, Chain was the first Indian to receive the “Senior Engineer” title at GM. In 1986, he joined NYX, Inc., an automotive supplier, and a few years later purchased the company in 1989. For three decades, he successfully led the company through a period of great growth and prosperity. As a highly respected colleague in the Automotive industry, Chain Sandhu was known for his focus on people saying, “if you take care of the people, everything else will take care of itself.”
Ronald Kalczynski has dedicated his life to teaching and serving. He came to Brother Rice High School in 1973 as a teacher and coach and retired in 2012 after 39 years of exceptional service. He did more than teach English, History and Theology – he guided, coached, and molded young men to truly live out the mission of Blessed Edmund Rice. As a legendary coach of baseball and football, and a 2014 inductee into the Brother Rice Athletic Hall of Fame, “Coach Kal” personifies what it means to be an honorable man of passion, discipline and work ethic. His defensive game plans and his history tests were legendary. Married to his wife Susan since 1972, the Kaczynski’s took great pride in the Catholic education received by their children – Kevin ’91, Brian ’94, Joe ’96, Colleen (Marian ’00), and Timothy ’04. They believed so strongly in the gift of educational opportunity for deserving students regardless of financial circumstance.
As role models for their children and their colleagues, Ron Kalczynski and Chain Sandhu personified hard work, discipline, integrity, faith, and passion in action.
In 2008, Brother Rice friends Brian Kalczynski ’94 and Mick Sandhu ’93 came together with the desire to establish a scholarship in their fathers’ names to honor their legacy and support young leaders who embodied their fathers’ values and traits. Recognizing the importance of ensuring a Brother Rice education was economically available to deserving students, Brian and Mick — along with their families — set out to permanently endow the Ronald Kalczynski & Chain S. Sandhu Scholarship Fund.
The goal was simple and steeped in mission — provide educational opportunity by enrolling talented and economically diverse students, giving as many young men as possible a chance at a Brother Rice education. The Kalczynski and Sandhu Families have led by example, putting their life passions into action by giving of their time, talent, and resources. In doing so, they have inspired others to join the journey, creating one of the largest endowed funds in the Brother Rice Endowment Fund.
Since 2011, the Ronald Kalczynski & Chain S. Sandhu Endowed Scholarship Fund has distributed 76 tuition awards to student scholars — keeping the mission of Edmund Rice alive by raising and distributing funds to secure future opportunity for the young men of Brother Rice. This is the heart of our mission, making possible the blessing that is a Brother Rice Education from one generation to the next.