Chaffee grad's will leaves $1.6 million to school foundation

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- When he died last year, Chaffee High School graduate Garth Briggs left $1.6 million in his estate to the local school foundation -- the largest single donation in the foundation's seven-year existence.

"We are thrilled," said Jean Whitaker, president of the Chaffee Public School Foundation. "It is a dream come true."

Still, she and other foundation officials have been reluctant to talk about the bequest because the money is still tied up in legal proceedings.

"We haven't got the money yet," she said. Foundation officials haven't publicly disclosed the name of the benefactor.

But one of Briggs' brothers, Lloyd Briggs of Benton, Ky., confirmed the donation Tuesday. He said the legal proceedings are routine, and the Chaffee foundation will get the money.

But neither he nor Whitaker know when that will occur.

Lloyd Briggs said Garth owned a tool manufacturing business in Ohio. He had no children.

Lloyd Briggs said his brother was over 80 years old when he died.

Garth Briggs lived in Springfield, Ohio, for 30 years. He was living in Florida when he died on May 5 from an apparent stroke. He left behind a multimillion-dollar estate.

His brothers, Norman Briggs of Spanish Fort, Ala., and Lloyd, are his only survivors.

"He was an extremely wealthy person," said Whitaker who grew up across the street from the Briggs family.

Garth Briggs graduated from Chaffee High School in 1935.

The bequest to the school foundation honors Briggs' mother and father, Marie and G.Q. Briggs. G.Q. Briggs was a locomotive engineer in the days when rail traffic was heavy in Chaffee.

The donation will provide scholarships primarily for students who intend to pursue a vocational or technical education, said Lloyd Briggs.

Chaffee superintendent Dr. Arnold Bell welcomed the donation. "It is going to be very beneficial to our kids," he said.

About 600 students are enrolled in the Chaffee public schools.

Bell said the foundation currently has assets of about $35,000. A board of directors administers the foundation. Bell serves as an ex-officio member of the board.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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