Drizzt
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Man's Will Leaves Hidden Wealth to Montana
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 13, 2005
HELENA, Mont., Nov. 12 (AP) - LeRoy Beckman went to secondhand stores for hearing aids and heated only one room of his small house. He drove an old panel truck, favored bib overalls and found Social Security adequate in his old age.
"He looked dirt poor," said his friend Jim McDermand.
But when he died at age 88 in 1997, Mr. Beckman had an estate worth about $3 million. And it turned out that he secretly had a benevolent side. He directed in his will that his money be used to buy land and donate it to the state for use by hunters.
Now the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is fully realizing Mr. Beckman's legacy. The state is about to formally receive the fourth and final piece of land bought with Mr. Beckman's money, which is now all spent.
The four contiguous tracts, called the Beckman Wildlife Management Area, amount to about 6,500 acres, including grassland, pine and fir trees, gentle slopes, coulees, and the Judith River. The land is inhabited by antelope, wild turkeys, pheasants, foxes, coyotes, raptors, songbirds, an occasional mountain lion and, of particular importance to Mr. Beckman, mule deer.
"It had to be mule-deer habitat, not elk habitat," said Mr. McDermand, a personal representative for the Beckman estate. "He didn't like elk."
Mr. Beckman's donation is "a testament to basic decency and civic involvement," said Steve Doherty, chairman of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.
The civic involvement, though, came posthumously. Mr. Beckman, who lived in Great Falls, was a loner. He trusted few people and was happiest in the wild, hunting.
Jim Luoma of Sand Coulee, who became Mr. Beckman's friend through a mutual interest in guns, said Mr. Beckman grew up poor, farmed as a young man, put money in gold stocks, then invested the return profitably in oil. Mr. Luoma believes his friend was a savvy investor who also had a smart adviser.
Mr. Beckman's only sibling, Evelyn Fish, lives in Great Falls. Ms. Fish, his half-sister, said Mr. Beckman liked to read, loved his dog, obeyed hunting laws scrupulously and loathed hunters who did not do so.
Because of Mr. McDermand's affiliation with the Montana Wildlife Federation, Mr. Beckman went to him for help in arranging his financial affairs.
"When we finished he said, 'Don't tell any women or lawyers about this,' " Mr. McDermand said. "He didn't trust either one."
Mr. McDermand did persuade Mr. Beckman to meet with a lawyer, Kirk Evenson, after describing Mr. Evenson as an avid sportsman. Mr. Beckman had prepared a voluminous will that needed work, and Mr. Evenson was doing that when Mr. Beckman died. After a judge acknowledged Mr. Beckman's intent, his wishes were carried out.
Mr. Evenson said he met with Mr. Beckman about four times before he would disclose his wealth. "He said, 'What do you need to know that for?' " Mr. Evenson recalled. "I said, 'Well, you know, in estate planning ...' "
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/national/13montana.html
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 13, 2005
HELENA, Mont., Nov. 12 (AP) - LeRoy Beckman went to secondhand stores for hearing aids and heated only one room of his small house. He drove an old panel truck, favored bib overalls and found Social Security adequate in his old age.
"He looked dirt poor," said his friend Jim McDermand.
But when he died at age 88 in 1997, Mr. Beckman had an estate worth about $3 million. And it turned out that he secretly had a benevolent side. He directed in his will that his money be used to buy land and donate it to the state for use by hunters.
Now the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is fully realizing Mr. Beckman's legacy. The state is about to formally receive the fourth and final piece of land bought with Mr. Beckman's money, which is now all spent.
The four contiguous tracts, called the Beckman Wildlife Management Area, amount to about 6,500 acres, including grassland, pine and fir trees, gentle slopes, coulees, and the Judith River. The land is inhabited by antelope, wild turkeys, pheasants, foxes, coyotes, raptors, songbirds, an occasional mountain lion and, of particular importance to Mr. Beckman, mule deer.
"It had to be mule-deer habitat, not elk habitat," said Mr. McDermand, a personal representative for the Beckman estate. "He didn't like elk."
Mr. Beckman's donation is "a testament to basic decency and civic involvement," said Steve Doherty, chairman of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.
The civic involvement, though, came posthumously. Mr. Beckman, who lived in Great Falls, was a loner. He trusted few people and was happiest in the wild, hunting.
Jim Luoma of Sand Coulee, who became Mr. Beckman's friend through a mutual interest in guns, said Mr. Beckman grew up poor, farmed as a young man, put money in gold stocks, then invested the return profitably in oil. Mr. Luoma believes his friend was a savvy investor who also had a smart adviser.
Mr. Beckman's only sibling, Evelyn Fish, lives in Great Falls. Ms. Fish, his half-sister, said Mr. Beckman liked to read, loved his dog, obeyed hunting laws scrupulously and loathed hunters who did not do so.
Because of Mr. McDermand's affiliation with the Montana Wildlife Federation, Mr. Beckman went to him for help in arranging his financial affairs.
"When we finished he said, 'Don't tell any women or lawyers about this,' " Mr. McDermand said. "He didn't trust either one."
Mr. McDermand did persuade Mr. Beckman to meet with a lawyer, Kirk Evenson, after describing Mr. Evenson as an avid sportsman. Mr. Beckman had prepared a voluminous will that needed work, and Mr. Evenson was doing that when Mr. Beckman died. After a judge acknowledged Mr. Beckman's intent, his wishes were carried out.
Mr. Evenson said he met with Mr. Beckman about four times before he would disclose his wealth. "He said, 'What do you need to know that for?' " Mr. Evenson recalled. "I said, 'Well, you know, in estate planning ...' "
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/national/13montana.html
I think that's the last thing I'd give money to my kids for.
