Stewardship of a Legacy
Rodger “Andy” Anderson made a bequest in 2006 in honor of his wife, Dora De Anderson, who died as a young woman. Dora De was of Paiute Indian heritage from the Winnemucca area. Rodger gifted the Community Foundation a significant part of his estate, including his Indian artifact collection, to benefit the Humboldt Museum in Winnemucca and to provide scholarships to Winnemucca high school students, which after 13 years, is coming to fruition.
The bequest included Lake County, Oregon property, far from services and access roads. The property is significant in size and is remote and pristine. The desert is home to rock formations, petroglyphs, and abundant wildlife. It was also, unfortunately for the Community Foundation, completely unmarketable. As stewards of Rodger Anderson’s bequest, we paid the modest property taxes and hoped we would one day sell it for an attractive value. Other than periodic “postcard” type offers of ridiculously low amounts, there was little activity. Happily, we were contacted by the Oregon Desert Land Trust in early 2019.
The Oregon Desert Land Trust, based in Bend, had acquired a much larger landholding that was adjacent to our property because of its cultural, historic, and natural resource value. They saw our property as a valuable addition to preserving the wild character of Oregon’s high desert, and last month the sale was completed. It is a double win!
- The desert that Rodger “Andy” Anderson had loved so much will now forever be preserved for others to enjoy.
- The land sale proceeds are now being split, with a portion being sent directly to the Humboldt County Museum and the remainder added to the scholarship endowment.
Seeing what can happen when we stay true to the donor’s intent is amazing. Some Legacy gifts can be distributed simply and soon begin their granting purposes. In this case, it was important to us to take the time to be sure the full value for the Anderson gift of the property would be used exactly as he intended. The property Rodger entrusted to us 13 years ago is now reaching its potential as a benefit to the Winnemucca Museum and students. The scholarship fund in Dora De’s memory will make a difference in the lives of young people in Winnemucca this year and continue to grow, helping students for generations. Rodger Anderson will leave his mark in northern Nevada.
When you write a bequest to the Community Foundation and join our Legacy Society, a special trust is nurtured between us. We keep in mind your intent and carefully take the time it takes to honor your charitable goals.