BECKLEY — Editor’s note: Leave a Legacy is a public awareness campaign designed to inspire people from all walks of life and all income levels to think beyond their lifespan when doing good works. Imagine how much good could be done if each one of us remembered a favorite charity or cause in our will or estate plan. The impact would be immeasurable! As a newer member of Leave a Legacy of Central Appalachia, the Tamarack Foundation was honored when it was notified of its first testamentary gift. This story was submitted by Sally Barton, executive director, Tamarack Foundation.



Every day, people make a difference for the nonprofit groups that they believe in. Sometimes that difference comes when they volunteer time to help others. Sometimes it means attending an event, making a purchase or committing to an annual donation.

There is another way to make a difference. That is by leaving a legacy. A legacy provides funding for an organization that will help sustain it, ensuring the health and strength of that organization for future generations.

A legacy gift, no matter the size, can come from anyone. It can be left through a person’s will, life insurance policy or a trust fund. It can also be a portion of an estate or 401(k) plan or a specific dollar amount. There are many ways to leave a legacy and, for every person who chooses to make such a generous contribution, there is a special story.

Clint Bryan has a special relationship with Tamarack and its artists. It began long before the first shovel of earth was turned and even before he knew he would be the architect for the Tamarack building in Beckley. It’s a relationship that will last for many years, even after Clint’s death in June 2009.

At his presentation before the architectural selection committee, Clint said everything he had done in his career — in his lifetime — led him to the moment when he would make that presentation. He said designing the building and working with the West Virginia artists involved in Tamarack was a gift in his life.

He never forgot that. He went on a few years later to design the conference center, sharing more of his creative spirit with state artists and with every guest who enjoys the Caperton Center.

Last summer, Clint became the first person to leave a testamentary gift to the Tamarack Foundation.

His gift will serve to help the foundation support the artisan resource programs that benefit the artists and artisans Clint appreciated so much.

“Everyone who knew Clint knew he was a special person,” said David Dickirson, treasurer for the Tamarack Foundation and a member of that Tamarack building selection committee.

“For his friends and everyone who knew him at Tamarack, it has always been clear that Tamarack and the Caperton Conference Center were the pinnacles of his career. This generous contribution is touching and a wonderful way to know that Clint is still sharing his gifts. What is even more special is that he recognized he had a way to continue supporting West Virginia arts and artisans with a legacy gift like this.”

Dickirson said what exceeds the monetary value of Clint’s gift is that it offers us a reminder that the ultimate gift of spirit is to remember an organization in your estate.

“Many of us give to our churches or to special organizations regularly during our lifetimes, but we don’t always know or remember that we can make a provision in our wills to continue our support,” he said. “Clint is reminding us that when something is important to us, we can make an ultimate gift in this way.”

When someone includes an organization like ours in a legacy gift in their will, it ensures that their support for that organization and their community will continue beyond their lifetime. Clint was aware of this opportunity and the Tamarack Foundation appreciates his gift to us. We hope that others will realize that they, too, can include charities, causes and nonprofits in their estate plans and make a phenomenal impact in the lives of those who benefit from a gift after their death.

To include the Tamarack Foundation in your estate planning, please contact me at 304-926-3770. To learn more about how you can leave a legacy, visit lalwv.org.