Benjamin Franklin - we all know he is one of our Founding Fathers but do we really know just how much this remarkable man did in his lifetime? Probably not and that's why local Benjamin Franklin historian and collector Stuart Karu has spent many years amassing the largest private collection in the world of Benjamin Franklin memorabilia.

Last month, Northern Trust's North Palm Beach office hosted an exhibit featuring items from Karu's extensive collection and invited 120 students from The King's Academy to an exclusive lunch and personal glimpse into history and the life of Benjamin Franklin. The students, all 11 and 12 year-olds, enjoyed a special lunch of chicken fingers, tater tots and cookies, and then sat down with Karu to learn about Benjamin Franklin, and to touch and feel some of the personal items belonging to Franklin.

Students as well as teachers and representatives from Northern Trust learned that along with being a founding father, politician, diplomat, scientist and media mogul, Benjamin Franklin, the inventor, created the first pair of swim fins and also created bifocals. Students learned that Franklin was a voracious reader, a vegetarian, and he was the first to chart the Gulf Stream many years after he began conducting his electrical experiments.

Stuart Karu is one of the country's best-known Benjamin Franklin collectors and has been an avid collector for more than 30 years. He is the founder of the Friends of Franklin, an organization dedicated to promoting fellowship, learning and the spirit of Benjamin Franklin. Karu's collection has been on display in Paris and at New York University in 2006 for the 300 th anniversary of Franklin's birth.

About Northern Trust
Northern Trust's Palm Beach/Martin County regional headquarters is located at 11301 U.S. Highway One in North Palm Beach. Other offices in the region include Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Stuart. Northern Trust has 27 offices throughout Florida.

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, fiduciary and banking solutions for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a multibank holding company based in Chicago, has a growing network of 85 offices in 18 U.S. states and has international offices in 13 locations in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2007, Northern Trust had assets under custody of $4.1 trillion, and assets under investment management of $757 billion. Northern Trust, founded in 1889, has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining high-touch service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit http://www.northerntrust.com.