Landmark Gifts Benefit Columbia County

Generosity Abounds in Recent Gifts to the Dayton/Columbia County, Washington Fund
CONTACT: Lawson Knight, Executive Director, BMCF (509) 529-4371 Email

In an amazing act of generosity, the Dayton/Columbia County, Washington Fund is the beneficiary of a local man's estate. Dayton resident, Darrel Marks, who passed away in April of this year, left his entire estate to the Darrel and Nadine Marks Memorial Fund to be administered by the Blue Mountain Community Foundation.

Mr. Marks had a great desire to benefit the citizens of Columbia County and annual distributions from the Marks Fund will go directly to the Dayton/Columbia County, Washington Fund for its grant program. Since the Marks Fund is a fund held in perpetuity, the Dayton/Columbia County Fund will receive distributions for as long as it is in existence. The value of the Estate is estimated at $700,000.

Mr. Marks was born and raised in Dayton, graduating from Dayton High School in 1937. He was an All Star football team member and went on to play professional football after serving in World War II. He returned to Dayton in the 1950's to help with the family farm and business. His good friend and neighbor, Jim Startin, says he was very attached to Dayton and the surrounding area, as is evidenced by this most generous gift to the community he cared so much about. .

The Dayton/Columbia County Fund was also the recipient of gifts totaling $4,320 in memory of C.M. "Mort" Bishop, Jr., who died July 11, 2007. Bishop's love of Columbia County, where he spent childhood summers with his grandmother, was well known. It is obvious from the amount of the donations that people held him in high regard.

Another anonymous gift to the Dayton/Columbia County Fund was used recently to purchase a building on Dayton's Main Street to house the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store and Project Timothy

Projects and programs supported recently by the Dayton/Columbia County, Washington Fund include:

Dayton Chamber of Commerce - $2,000 for the repainting of the mural on the Eagle's building;

Blue Mountain Heritage Society - $2,250 to fund a video interview project, the Palus Museum gift shop and other projects and a matching grant of $1,250 for additional worthwhile projects;

Touchet Valley Arts Council - $900 for the Summer Children's Film Series at the Liberty Theater; and

Dayton Elementary School - $1,200 for the purchase of Science and Technology Curriculum Kits as part of the school's science education reform.