“Legacy”:
1. a gift by will especially of money or other personal property . . .
2. something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or processor or from the past
My wife Mary and I first encountered George Lanning decades ago at the old Tumwater Church after some friends had encouraged us to try OUUC.
It was a “This I Believe” service, where congregants summarize their faith journeys to Unitarian-Universalism. It was George’s turn that Sunday. He used an interview format: he interviewed himself. Turning his head from side to side, the interviewer George prodded and challenged the interviewed George to explain his beliefs. It was thoughtful, informative, profound . . . and hilarious. We were hooked. We joined the church – both for the theology and for the people.
Over the years, we got to know George more, at church, at “Dinners for Eight,” and at auction and other social events.
George was devoted to OUUC, and that was manifested in his life and in his death in 2022. Before he died, George gave OUUC a gift of $100,000 and, upon his death, bequested another
$165,000 to the church. That generosity seeded OUUC’s 2022-2025 capital campaign dedicated to replace our failed HVAC system, fund other capital projects, and pay off our debt.
And recently, we received a supplemental bequest from the Lanning Estate of $85,000, bringing the total Lanning gifts to a breathtaking total of $350,000, a financial legacy that will benefit OUUC for years to come.
Very few of us have the financial resources to come close to the magnitude of George’s gifts. But George’s legacy was more than just dollars. It was a devotion to OUUC to help in whatever way he could. That broader aspect of George’s generosity should be a model for all of us and should be remembered and celebrated. Indeed, we understand from George’s family that George on several occasions mentioned that he hoped that others would follow his example.
The Legacy Giving Committee is charged with promoting legacy giving among members and friends of OUUC. With the encouragement of the Board, and inspired by George, we hope to do just that in the coming weeks and months.
So just what is Legacy Giving? Remember the Giving Tree.
