Creating A LEGACY

Catalina played a prominent role in the emotional legacy left behind by Terry Grill’s grandparents and parents. Her grandparents spent their honeymoon at the Hotel St. Catherine in 1924, coming back to the Island often after the Casino was built to dance together to the sound of big band music. Her parents introduced her and her brother to one of their favorite weekend destinations via the water on their boats. She and her brother grew up sailing their Sabot around Catalina. The kindness that her grandparents showed to each other on the Island, and the curiosity of her father, first as a captain, then as a pilot that loved flying in to Airport in the Sky, left a lasting impression.

Terry and her husband Larry spent their honeymoon circumnavigating the Island on the family boat, Allegro. To celebrate their first anniversary, her dad flew them – with their backpacks – to Airport in the Sky. They hiked to Avalon, then to the Isthmus where her parents picked them up on their boat. After living in San Francisco for 25 years, the Grills returned to Catalina to hike and to dance at the Casino.

“When we returned to Catalina, we discovered that the goats and boar were gone and the eagles and foxes were back. Through these changes, we became aware of the work of the Catalina Island Conservancy,” said Terry, who now serves on the Conservancy’s board of directors.

It didn’t take long after joining the board for her to decide that she needed to make Catalina Island part of her legacy by becoming a member of the Legacy Society.

“I was thinking about what legacy is and my definition – certainly it’s financial – but really it is sharing what you’ve learned, what you value and to provide for the spread of that knowledge into the future,” she said.

It has always been important to her and Larry to make a lasting and meaningful contribution to humanity.

“We feel strongly about ethics and responsibility, science and business, and along with that goes stewardship,” she added. “It’s important to be a steward and not just a user, not just someone who takes.”

“That’s why we put the Conservancy in our estate plan, because we really think that future generations have to appreciate this Island and continue to be stewards. It needs to be part of what they experience growing up,” she said. “For some people maybe it’s hard to think about leaving your estate, but once you figure out that it’s inevitable and the point is to live as fully and as long as you can, then it becomes a question of what are you going to leave behind.”

For the Grills, that means a legacy that represents their core values and passion for contributing to make the world a better place.

By sharing their love of Catalina Island, and remembering the Conservancy in their estate plans, Legacy Society members help the long-term stability of the Conservancy to ensure the protection of Catalina well into the future. Your legacy gift also helps provide ways for you to manage your assets and pass on your values like Terry and Larry have done.

To learn more about planning legacy gifts to benefit the Conservancy, contact Suzy Gardner at 562.437.8555 x1228 or visit CatalinaConservancy.org.