Born in Middletown in 1890, Robert Gardner was one of three sons of Colin and Elizabeth (Tytus) Gardner.
He rose through the ranks of several family-owned paper businesses, including the Gardner-Harvey Paper Company, which continues today as the Temple-Inland and Smurfit-Stone companies in Middletown.
In 1950, he was senior vice president of the Gardner Board and Carton Co. in Middletown.
He died on Jan. 25, 1967.
Abilities First will receive $3.2 million — the most of any organization — and the Atrium will receive $2.4 million, both the single largest gifts in their histories.
The YMCA will receive $500,000 and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will receive $1.125 million.
Local organizations 'grateful’ for Gardner’s gift
Several Middletown area organizations hit Powerball-sized jackpots without playing the lottery.
The estate of Robert B. Gardner Sr. will distribute more than $11 million to 13 organizations, mostly from the area. He established the trust in 1965, two years before his death.
Kevin McDonald, vice president and trust officer at Key Bank in Dayton, said, according to Gardner’s will from 1965, the money had to remain in a trust until his wife, Mazie, and son, Robert Gardner Jr., passed away.
Robert Gardner Jr. died last year in New York. He was 92.
McDonald said all the charities listed in the will were verified. Only one, Senaham, a children’s home in Hamilton, ceased operation in 1985. Senaham was set to receive 3 percent or $330,000.
Robert Gardner rose through the ranks of several family-owned paper businesses, including the Gardner-Harvey Paper Co., which continues today in the Temple-Inland and Smurfit-Stone companies in Middletown.
He was senior vice president of the Gardner Board and Carton Co. in 1950.
Gift’s significance long lasting
The late Robert B. Gardner Sr. became interested in Abilities First (Doty House) during its early years of operations.
The Gardner family made substantial contributions with the expansion of a therapy wing in 1961 on Curtis Street and then with the move to the present main campus on Timber Trail Drive in 1968.
The size of this gift will have short- and long-term significance, said Karen Smith, executive director.
During recent years, Abilities First has felt the affects of a struggling economy and reductions in funding, while the need for its services has grown in the community and surrounding areas, she said.
The money, she said, will allow Abilities First to reduce some outstanding debt and make needed improvements to its aging facilities, Smith said.
'Extremely grateful’
James Papakirk, chairman of the Atrium Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, said the board will be “thoughtful stewards” of the money, taking about one year to decide about investments.
He said the foundation was “extremely grateful for this transformational gift.”
Douglas W. McNeill, president and CEO of Atrium Medical Center, said Gardner recognized the “essential role” the hospital plays in the region’s health.
“We’re forever indebted to him for helping to advance our mission of building healthier communities,” McNeill said.
'Generous gift’
Karen Kratz, director of gift planning at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, called the $1.125 million — while not the largest in the hospital’s history — “a generous gift” that will allow the facility to continues serving children and families in the region.
She said leadership of the medical center will decide where the gift will make the biggest impact on improving child health.
After looking over the agencies listed in Gardner’s will, Kratz said children and their health were at the top of his list. She didn’t know why he chose a Cincinnati hospital except the facility is a “leader in that arena.”
'Very gratified’
Colin Gardner, Robert’s father, was one of the original incorporating members of the Middletown Area YMCA. He served on the volunteer Board of Directors from 1918 to 1929.
Woody Fitton, Great Miami Valley YMCA president and chief executive officer, said the agency has historically been the beneficiary of “visionary donors” that enable it to sustain its “mission through many turbulent times.”
The YMCA was “very gratified” to be included as a recipient, he said.
The money will be a Board Restricted Endowment Fund to be used in the Middletown area and will not be spent toward subsidizing branch operations, he said.
The money could be used for special capital improvements or projects, pending the approval of its board of trustees.
David Harrison is a fourth generation YMCA volunteer whose great grandfather, William T. Harrison, was a signing member of the Middletown YMCA Charter and a member of the Board of Directors, having served with Colin Gardner between 1918 and 1928.
Harrison said he’s been “pleasantly surprised” by the number of Middletown families that have “generously remembered” the YMCA in their estates over the years.
“It is no secret that there are few institutions that have positively benefited multiple generations in our city such as our YMCA has,” he said. “It has a special place in the hearts of many.”
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