Beloved Georgetown community member and philanthropist Jack Garey has passed away at the age of 92.
Georgetown organizations and individuals reacted on social media on Wednesday, March 23rd at the announcement, including Mayor Josh Schroeder who paid tribute to Garey’s legacy in Georgetown saying, “Mr. Garey is Georgetown.”
“It is with a heavy heart and tremendous respect for a great community leader that I share the news of Mr. Jack Garey’s passing on March 18,” Mayor Schroeder said. “Mr. Garey is Georgetown. He is a part of the fabric woven into our City’s history. Mr. Garey was a man of honor, integrity, and respect for others. He had a servant heart and lived a life of philanthropy, donating his wealth to various communities and leaving a legacy that will live on. One of his donations includes his 525-acre ranch to the City, which is now Garey Park. Please keep the Garey family in your thoughts and prayers. Consider taking a moment of silence in your day to reflect on who Jack Garey was and all he’s done for this community. Thank you.”
Jack Garey has been well-known in the Georgetown community for his giving heart. In 2004, he and his wife announced their intention to donate their ranch and $5 million dollars to the City of Georgetown for the creation of what’s now known as Garey Park.
“The City’s obligation was to match the money to develop the land into what would become Georgetown’s largest park,” according to the City of Georgetown. “The 525-acre land donation will be used exclusively as a public park and recreational facility in perpetuity for the benefit of all residents of the City of Georgetown and surrounding areas. The Garey family took ownership of the ranch in 1966 and built a 6,500 square foot home for themselves in 1995. Their private home has been renovated and is now Garey House, a special events venue that can be utilized for indoor and outdoor events, including weddings, social events, fundraisers, corporate events and more.”
You can view a video from the City of Georgetown about the creation of Garey Park below:
Video Courtesy: City of Georgetown via YouTube
Garey also supported Southwestern University. He served on the Board of Trustees for 12 years. Additionally, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree and was appointed the University’s second life trustee in 2016, according to Southwestern University.
“His landmark contribution to Southwestern was a transformative $15 million endowment gift in 2017 to underwrite high-impact experiences for 32 exceptional sophomores and juniors, support eight annual competitive midcycle sabbatical semesters for tenured faculty, provide need-based financial assistance to students, and create five endowed chairs in the natural sciences,” the university said. “The gift—given with honor to his late wife Cammy, a fellow trustee of the University and an avid supporter of education and the environment who passed away in 2012 from ovarian cancer—was the largest single cash gift in Southwestern’s history and established the University’s Jack and Camille Garey School of Natural Sciences, joining the Brown College of Arts and Sciences and the Sarofim School of Fine Arts as one of the three named schools within the institution.”
Garey also helped nonprofits, including Living Grace Canine Ranch, a relatively new nonprofit headquartered in Georgetown. After visiting the senior dog sanctuary. Garey funded a second bunkhouse, Garey’s Big Dog Bunkhouse, to allow the organization to help even more dogs in need.
The 4,000 square-foot bunkhouse offers 25 canine apartments designed explicitly for the aging comforts of large breeds, contains a veterinary/wellness clinic and a concrete reinforced storm shelter.
“I’ve had dogs all my life, and I really admire Rhonda for what she’s doing,” Garey said at the time. “She’s taking on a whole lot and giving 100 percent. She’s running a good ship and taking good care of the dogs. It was important to me to help support this vital resource in our community.”
These examples are just a few of the many ways Garey has impacted Georgetown, his heart can be found all over the community in large and small ways.
Hello Georgetown expresses our condolences to the Garey family and offers our sincere gratitude to everything Jack Garey has done for our community. His is truly a legacy that has and will continue to impact generations.
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