Timm trust has left a lasting impact
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By Marty Yeakel
The John E. Timm Charitable Trust was established by John E. Timm in October of 1973. The State Bank of Arthur was to oversee the distribution of his estate upon his death, the amount totaling more than $500,000.
But first some background on John E. Timm. He was born in Arthur in 1866, his family being some of the first settlers in the area. He attended high school in Arthur where he had many friends and was involved in many activities. Sadly, when he was 15, his father was killed in a fire and he went to live with an aunt and uncle in Lovington finishing high school there and graduating in 1905 as valedictorian of his class.
He has been quoted as saying the people of Arthur and Lovington were very kind to him. Following graduation Mr Timm was awarded a teaching certificate and went on to teach school for a year. From there he went to work in Chicago and attended DePaul University Law School graduating with honors and began practicing law in Chicago.
He was a veteran of World War I and also served in World War II. At some point he donated a block of stock to Lovington High School which was used as an award for an outstanding senior. The first year it was given was in 1960 and Mr. Timm presented it himself. The amount was $50 which at that time covered tuition for a year at a state college.
John E. Timm passed away in 1976. He and his wife are buried in the Arthur cemetery. But it was not until 1980 that his bequests began to be distributed and an advisory committee was set up which has distributed funds to students heading to college, the nursing home, libraries and the schools in the towns he loved. He probably never envisioned how his gift would impact so many.
A list of recipients who have benefited beginning with the many scholarships given to first Arthur and Lovington seniors and now to seniors at Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School also includes the ALAH School District, various ALAH student organizations, the Arthur Home, the Village of Arthur, the Village of Lovington, the Arthur Rural Fire Protection District, the Arthur Public Library District, Amish Heritage Center, Arthur Park District and the Arthur Association of Commerce.
More specifically, for the last five years alone, Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School has received many thousands of dollars for much needed equipment otherwise unaffordable such as items for the computer lab, chromebooks, heart rate monitors, weight room equipment, yoga mats, and mats to protect the gym floor for PE. Also equipment used in the broadcasting class such as microphones, headsets, cameras, hard drives, battery packs, tripods and cables which also allows streaming to youtube and for the ToKnight show podcast. A state of the art sound system for Wilson Field and the old gym which made this spring’s production of “Mama Mia” by the drama department much more enjoyable. A high jump pit and repair and replacement of district band equipment round out some of the other items made available because of Mr. Timm’s foresight all those years ago.
When Lovington High School was still in existence, Judy Uphoff, former principal, recalls that some of the first Smarboards available were purchased with Timm Trust funds. Spotlights and other equipment also were able to be purchased for school plays as well as graphing calculators for math classes at Lovington.
From an article written by Kent Stock in 2007, he stated that more than $1.5 million had been used for the schools, villages, libraries, etc. during the past 26 years (1980-2006). He also noted that what began as just over a half million dollars had grown to $1.3 million (at that time) under the management of the Advisory Committee. One interesting gift to the Timm Trust came from the first American Field Service exchange student, Hans Nielsen from Denmark, who donated $10,000. Nielsen stated: “My AFS year in Arthur made a real difference in my life and Arthur, the high school and my host family (the late Ervin and Dorothy Jurgens) have been close to my heart ever since. The gift is only a modest token of my appreciation for a fantastic year in a very friendly environment.”
Although figures for years since 2007 are not readily available due to the passage of time and a bank merger, there is information for the last ten years. For example, for the period 2014 through 2023 a total of $755,092 was distributed to grantees who met the necessary criteria outlined in Mr. Timm’s trust agreement. Today funds are made available for purposes of 1) assisting deserving students of the Arthur and Lovington High Schools (now Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond) to complete their high school education and to continue such education to college school levels; 2) to make gifts to municipal organizations for the purpose of permitting them to provide recreational facilities they may not be able to provide; 3) to furnish incentives to further educational, literary, and scientific pursuits; 4) to assist in any appropriate manner in the maintenance and operation of the Arthur Home and to provide any necessary assistance to the guests therein.
The current Advisory Committee consists of five members from the local communities as dictated by the Trust Agreement. Any organization having an interest in making a request should contact Alana Parm or Scott Seegmiller at the State Bank of Arthur.
John E. Timm has obviously made a lasting impact on the two communities he cared so much about and his legacy continues to this day.
Thanks to Steffanie Seegmiller, principal at ALAH High School, Alana Parm at the State Bank of Arthur, Kelsey Pruitt at the Arthur Public Library and the late Kent Stock for providing much of the information for this article.