The Gift of a Garden

By Kevin York, CFP®

Henry Shaw.

If you’re not particularly interested in botany, that name might not mean very much to you. But for myself and many other St. Louisans, Shaw’s legacy is deeply significant and dearly treasured. Generosity, excellence, and tranquility are just a few of words that come to mind when I think of the man who gave life to one of my favorite places in the world: The Missouri Botanical Garden.

The Garden opened its doors to the public on June 15th, 1859, and “quickly became one of St. Louis’s most respected cultural institutions, its guestbook filled with the signatures of both locally and nationally prestigious visitors”. Beyond appreciating Shaw’s industriousness and creativity, I respect his egalitarian desire to build something that would bring people together. He once wrote: “To all classes of society, the old and the young, the infirm invalid, or the robust and the vigorous, the rich and the poor, the garden may be considered, almost alike an object of interest, of instruction, and amusement.”

Although there is no doubt that the Garden and its research facilities experienced a myriad of changes over the following 30 years, perhaps the biggest of them all was yet to come. In association with Shaw’s death in 1889, a charitable trust was formed for the benefit of future generations. To ensure his vision for the Garden was realized, a board of trustees was given the responsibility of stewarding what I consider to be a crowning jewel of St. Louis.

Over the years, I’ve had a number of memorable experiences bequeathed to me by Mr. Shaw, albeit indirectly. One of my notable winter escapades took place when I was 10 or 11 years old.  My family and I were weaving past the Climatron when the thought of stepping onto the frozen surface of the water lily pond struck me as a good idea…until it wasn’t.

Happily, my grandma—like so many other matriarchs—was prepared for the worst and just so happened to have a towel in her purse. I still remember feeling it wrapped around my legs and hearing my footsteps squeak through the Shoenberg Temperate House. In 2017, in particular, I visited the grounds more than 25 times to take in the colors, aromas, and textures that give my labyrinthian 79-acre refuge a wonderfully unique sense-of-place.  Whether I’m strolling under the cherry blossoms with my wife (Gracie) or if I’m sitting on a bench near Shaw’s final resting place—the Garden has continued to be a source of perpetual joy to me.

Whether physical, emotional, or philosophical, encountering a cornerstone of beauty has the capacity to greatly influence our perspective on life. For me, the Garden has brought the idea of legacy (“something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past”) closer to the forefront of my mind. This has been especially true since I married the love of my life in May of 2020. While only a few of us may have the ability to gift a sprawling garden to the city of St. Louis, I’m confident that many of us are able and desirous of contributing to the benefit of the people and causes we care about.

For some individuals, joy and beauty would be best served by sponsoring their grandchild’s medical school. For others, it would look like supporting the local symphony, arts program, or conservation initiative. And for others still, the best thing to do would be to allow a certain family member to learn to thrive and grow on their own.

Whatever legacy you envision, I’m proud to say that our firm has helped scores of families implement estate and tax strategies that have significantly increased the slope of their lives and/or their communities. So whether it’s in your heart to donate a physical garden or a metaphorical one, it would be our joy to come alongside and help you achieve your aspirations.

Sources:

Definition of Legacy: Merriam Webster Dictionary.

Quote from Henry Shaw and various historical data points:
Missouri Botanical Garden (Images Of America: St. Louis), written by Todd E. Styles
Quote: Page 9
Opening Date of Garden: Page 9
Date of Shaw’s Death: Page 49