Gift given for JC trails

Ron Shoemaker’s legacy isn’t limited to the $1.52 million bequest to Fort Recovery Community Foundation.
The estate of the longtime Fort Recovery High School math teacher also includes about $400,000 to The Portland Foundation for the development and maintenance of recreational trails in Jay County.
Shoemaker, who died in November 2018 at the age of 76, specified that his bequest to the Fort Recovery foundation would be used to fund scholarships for FRHS students. That donation was announced at a Fort Recovery boys basketball game last month.
His will specifies that his bequest to The Portland Foundation “be used for the construction and maintenance of a greenway trail in Jay County or a similar program for outdoor exercise or recreation.”
A 1961 graduate of Portland High School, Shoemaker earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Earlham College and his master’s degree from Ball State University. He went on to a career teaching math at FRHS from 1966 to 2001.
Foundation executive director Doug Inman said Thursday that about $380,000 from the Shoemaker estate has been placed in the foundation’s investment pool. He said that when the estate is closed the total is expected to be $400,000 or more.
Inman said he expects some of that amount will be set aside as a permanent endowment to fund future trail maintenance. Some of it could also be used as local matching dollars to leverage grants for trail development.