Posted on 01/11/2004 6:58:36 AM PST by wallcrawlr
WARROAD, Minn. - When word came recently that Gaylord Gunderson bequeathed close to $1 million to friends and local charities, the most common reaction was:
Gaylord who?
Most local residents, even the representatives of the benefiting charities, had never heard of him. And those who did know him were even more astounded.
That's because Gunderson, who died three weeks short of his 90th birthday about a year ago, lived in a 1959 vintage mobile home that was 8 feet wide and 30 feet long. Only in his last five years did he get a television set and telephone.
The trailer was heated by a potbellied stove, with the firewood cut and hauled by Gunderson himself until his health deteriorated in recent years. The 10-inch TV set sat atop a tiny fridge. In the driveway was a pickup that had 80,000 miles on its odometer.
But in the bank was $970,000. Only his accountant, his lawyer and a few close friends knew.
"How Gaylord lived was almost sad," said Karen Pederson, the accountant who handled his finances. "We did finally convince him to buy carpeting and some new furniture. But we were unsuccessful in attempts to get him to move into assisted living.
"He was perfectly happy where he was. He felt there was nothing wrong with what he had. Money meant nothing to him."
Unchanged by money
Gunderson inherited most of the money in 1995 from his deceased brother, who was a doctor in California. But it didn't change him a fraction.
"It never changed his lifestyle," Pederson said. "His way of life was established by then, and nothing was going to change it.
"He wouldn't even spend his entire Social Security check."
Gunderson ate most of his meals at a local restaurant, where he'd always leave a 25-cent tip. His fridge rarely had more than the quart of milk he would buy daily. Weekly, he withdrew cash from the bank for the next week's expenses.
Although he rarely wrote checks, he routinely had $18,000 in his checking account. His accountant cringed at having such a large amount in such a low-interest account.
"He never cared about money, and he never spent it, but he loved to see that figure in his bank statement," Pederson said. "Your job is to make the man happy, so you abide by his wishes."
Some strange wishes
About eight years ago, Gunderson set up a $100,000 fund to give two $2,500 scholarships every year to high school graduates. His main stipulation was that the students couldn't have better than a C average and had to attend a technical school.
In the early years, he'd help screen the applicants. "He'd look at an application for a student with a C-plus average and toss it away," Pederson said. "He was adamant about that C average.
"He always felt the A and B students could get scholarships or could make it on their own. He wanted to help those who didn't have as good of a chance."
Although Gunderson lived a pauper's life with a prince's riches, and his criteria for scholarships drove local educators crazy, he wasn't an oddball or eccentric, said friend Alvin Johnston.
"We're not talking about some kooky bagman eating out of the garbage," Johnston said. "I don't want the impression that he was a hermit.
"He was a good, decent man who knew what he was doing."
Gunderson lived an active life until his mid-80s, routinely driving his snowmobile and 4-wheeler around what's known as "The Bog" and taking motorcycle trips around the United States and Canada. He cut his own firewood as part of his love of the outdoors. And, although quiet and not active in the community, he was sociable, held strong opinions and joked around by speaking fluent Norwegian.
In recent years when he no longer drove a car, friend Richard Holmgren would take him for long drives through the woods.
The simple life
His retirement, even after the inheritance, was a continuation of a simple life. He was born in Iowa and moved to Baudette, Minn., at age 18. He worked varying laborer jobs farmer, logger, trapper, mine worker and served in the Navy. His pride in his military service was evident by the memorabilia he hung on his trailer walls.
He was married at age 39. When his wife died 14 years later, he moved to Warroad, where he worked for 12 years at Marvin Windows before retiring in 1985.
"He was an inconspicuous American who worked hard," Johnston said. "He was never jealous of anybody, nor did he ever hate anybody. He neither drank nor smoked nor used profanity. He was completely unassuming.
"Not many people knew this guy. But those who did liked him."
Distributing $1 million
Gunderson died with no relatives no children, siblings, nieces or nephews. So, he gave his money elsewhere.
The Warroad School Foundation received a $395,000 endowment. Of the annual interest the endowment raises, half will go for equipment and programs at the school, and the other half will go to student scholarships.
"We got Gaylord to bend a little bit on that one," Pederson said. "The will says the scholarships have to go to average students, not necessarily those with a C average or below."
Other local beneficiaries sharing $225,000 were a Bible camp, nursing home, senior citizens center, Salvation Army, Lutheran church and American Legion club. Another $20,000 went to an Indian mission in Wyoming.
No one knows his connection to the Indian mission. Perhaps there wasn't one, because there wasn't a strong connection to the local charities, either. He didn't belong to the church nor the Legion, didn't visit anyone in the nursing home or frequent the senior citizens center.
"Most of the charity representatives had no clue who he was," Pederson said. "And they were all astounded at the gift."
Fourteen individuals shared another $300,000, the gifts ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. The recipients included a woman whose only relationship with Gunderson was as a bank teller in Baudette.
"The recipients were basically the people who befriended Gaylord," Pederson said.
Fewer than 50 people attended his funeral a year ago, 11 months before the results of his will were announced.
"Gaylord was a nice, simple, quiet, kind man," Pederson said. "Look what this man who hardly anybody knew did for the community. It's amazing."
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | United Kingdom | 120.00 |
2 |
60.00 |
128 |
0.94 |
50.00 |
2 |
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A man after my own heart. Bless him.
Self-reliance, military service, helping others, and shunning the school administrations...
I wonder if the waitress(es) got any of the inheritance. It's unlikely that they were very friendly to him.
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