A MILITARY LEGACY
BY EDGE STAFF
Supporting Our Veterans A Conversation with Bruce Gill of the Virginia & Robert Gill Foundation
EDGE STAFF: Let us start by commending you for honoring Veterans in the way that your family has done for many years and for entrusting the EDGE as a vehicle for making sure that we continue to serve them in your parents honor. Can you share your reason for establishing the Virginia and Robert Gill Charitable Trust? BRUCE GILL: We created the Virginia & Robert Gill Foundation in 2014 three years after Mom's death and 1 year before Dad passed. He was at the stage of wanting to “settle his affairs” while he “still had his marbles” (his phrasing). My interest was building an ongoing legacy, however modest, to their struggles and successes. There
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were no grandchildren, so their story would be forgotten after I died. They both were children of The Depression and were desperately poor growing up ... and were able to “turn their lives around” by taking advantage of every available opportunity they could. I suggested to him that a large portion of their estate should go toward the continuation of charitable support he and Mom had maintained through the years. There were always two overarching themes to their giving and their outlook, in addition to the usual community organizations (like United Way, Salvation Army) and the church. Those additional efforts
benefited Veterans and active duty service members. I remember Dad telling stories about how, when he went on business trips, he would find the USO stations (at large airports) and buy everyone a round of lunch or dinner (and/or beers, depending on the time of day). And Mom & Dad ALWAYS believed and preached that getting the most and best education was the best thing someone could do for themselves. Whenever they were asked for “life advice” by younger people, they invariably urged (a) go to college, or (b) enlist (and then use the GI benefits to go to college later). My brother and I were imprinted with that message very early ... I got
