Gobble trust donates $726,000 to foundation

The Greater Jefferson County Foundation announced today it has received a bequest of nearly $726,000 from the Lee T. Gobble Charitable Remainder Trust and his estate.

The donation will give charities a fund to use for infrastructure improvements, provided the infrastructure benefits most people in the community. The funds will be for capital improvements and not for operating expenses.

Three specific projects were mentioned in the trust and two of the three have already been substantially completed. The two designated projects outlined in the trust that are either mostly or wholly complete are funding the steeple restoration on the Jefferson County Courthouse and the construction of a recreation building/gymnasium in Fairfield.

Gobble was active in raising money to reattach the steeple to the courthouse?s bell tower. By 2004, he had raised $50,000, enough to complete the project. Gobble did not live quite long enough to see the opening of The Cambridge Recreation SportsPlex, an addition to the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center, which opened its doors in March. When Gobble died on April 27, 2015, the outdoor pool was under construction and the new gymnasium had been planned.

The third project mentioned in Gobble?s trust was to partially fund the establishment of a new Fairfield area museum, or to renovate any existing Fairfield area museum. This undertaking to expand Carnegie Historical Museum has not yet gotten off the ground, but could in the next few years. The funds can be used for capital expenses in either its expansion or renovation.

The board of directors of the Greater Jefferson County Foundation have the power to designate other projects of a similar purpose that closely coincide with the trust?s primary intention, which is to provide community infrastructure (of a nature geared to benefit most everyone in the community), rather than to cover the operating expenses of particular local charities.

Dave Neff, member of the foundation?s publicity committee, said today that Gobble?s will was written about 15 years ago, and that he was fortunate to live long enough to see two of the three proposals come to fruition. Since the steeple restoration and new gymnasium have already been built, the money in the trust will go toward the museum and other projects. How much will go to the museum is up to the foundation?s board of directors.

Mark Shafer, curator of the Carnegie Historical Museum, said today the museum board has no plans of how it would use any money from Gobble?s trust.

?It?s gratifying to know Lee Gobble thought enough of the museum to remember us in this way,? he said. ?Money will be put toward an eventual expansion. We need to enlarge our endowment before we can form concrete plans, and we?re in the very beginning stages of that.?

Gobble was known as ?Mr. Fairfield? and was a four-term board member with the Greater Jefferson County Foundation. He had a ?sincere personal interest in events and activities benefiting the entire community,? according to a press release from the Greater Jefferson County Foundation.

As a fifth-generation businessman and clothier, he worked with many residents of Fairfield and Jefferson County.

?Lee Gobble cared deeply for the Fairfield community,? said resident Arvin Bogaards. ?He knew when he retired back in 1995 that he wanted to give back to the community that had supported his clothing business for many years. So, he established the Charitable Trust with the Greater Jefferson County Foundation as the charitable remainder beneficiary to benefit the community.?

In addition to the nearly three-quarters of a million dollars donated through his trust, Gobble had given a significant amount of money to the Greater Jefferson County Foundation prior to his death.

The mission of the foundation is:  ?The Greater Jefferson County Foundation receives, accepts, and distributes funds for educational, cultural, civic and charitable purposes for the benefit of the greater community of Jefferson County, Iowa.? It was established in 1975 and has had significant growth in recent years courtesy of bequests like Gobble?s and being the county?s conduit to the Iowa Non-Gaming Community distribution from the State of Iowa.