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History of the Handley Trust
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The Handley Trust was established by virtue of the last will and testament of Judge John Handley, an Irish-born resident of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who fell in love with the City of Winchester during his many visits there. Judge Handley died on February 15, 1895, leaving the City the sum of $250,000, to be held in trust and invested in bonds of the Commonwealth of Virginia until the bequest plus interest increased to the amount to $500,000. At that time, he directed the City of Winchester to build a library to be called “The Handley Library.” No more than $250,000 was to be spent on the building and its equipment, with the remainder to be invested. The income was to be used to maintain the library and to purchase books, maps, works of art, and similar items. Construction of The Handley Library began in 1908 and was completed in 1913, though still in need of final repairs. The library finally opened that same year. The remainder of this library fund was held in the Handley Trust until it was transferred to the care and custody of The Handley Library Board of Directors.
The investment and administration of the Handley Trust was the function of the Handley Board of Trustees, which was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1896. The Trustees saw to the fulfillment of Judge Handley’s instructions with regard to the investment of his bequest and the building of the library. In addition to the original sum of $250,000, the Board of Trustees was tasked with administering over $1,600,000, “the rest and residue of [Handley’s] estate,” bequeathed to the City of Winchester for a period of twenty years. The income arising therefrom was to be expended on the creation of schoolhouses for “the education of the poor children of Winchester.” This bequest resulted in the building of the Handley School (opened in 1923), the Frederick Douglas School (completed in 1927), and the purchase of land for the Virginia Avenue School (1929).
*Information has been provided by the Handley Trust. Click here for sources*
What Does the Handley Board of Trustees do Today?
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The Handley Board of Trustees currently supervises investments in a number of funds and distributes income for the benefit of Winchester Public Schools and Handley Library as follows:
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Dorothy Robinson Library Fund
This fund was created by the Revocable Trust of Dorothy Robinson, who died in 2013, for the benefit of the primary location of the Handley Regional Library located in the City of Winchester. The fund is to be used to maintain and operate the library as a public library for the free use by the people of Winchester, as deemed advisable in the sole and absolute discretion of the Handley Board of Trustees. The library’s Board of Directors submits annual requests for funds that must be approved by the Handley Board of Trustees. Recent expenditures include a one-time payment of $750,000 towards the replacement of the library’s HVAC system.[1] Since December 2016, total expenditures have come to $1,862,199.[2] This is the largest of the funds administered by the Handley Board of Trustees.
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Edith Garrabrandt Memorial Trust
This fund was established to provide annual creative writing awards to students of John Handley High School.
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John, David and Howard Lewis Endowment Fund
Established in 2007, this fund is an endowment from which the income earned after five years is to be applied toward the general expenditures of the Handley Trust for the WPS.
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School Fund
Following the completion of the Virginia Avenue School, the Board was no longer involved in the building of schools. Now, its mission is to fund projects that help in the establishment and maintenance of superior education programs for the children of all of the Winchester Public Schools (WPS), of which there are eight. By joint resolution of the Winchester School Board and the Handley Board of Trustees of 1982, guidelines were established:
- The project should have a lasting impact upon the students and staff of the WPS.
- The project should affect the education of many children, not just a few.
- The project should have a measurable result in promoting quality education.
- The project should act as an incentive for the students and staff to continue the pursuit of excellence in learning.
- If the project is a capital expenditure, it should be of such a special nature that one would not expect it to be funded by the City of Winchester.
Each year, the Superintendent of Schools presents to the Handley Board of Trustees a detailed request for funding for special programs to be undertaken in the new school year.
The intent of the School Fund is to provide perpetual contributions to the WPS to enhance the education of the students and faculty of the WPS. Since 1994, these contributions have totaled $3,182,227[1].
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The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Memorial Trust
In 1923, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Memorial Trust was established at the Shenandoah Valley National Bank by Mary Mildred Sullivan (Algernon Sullivan’s widow) and George Hammond Sullivan (his son) with the sum of $200.00. By the year 2000, the Trust was valued at $221,698. A resolution passed by the Handley Board of Trustees in the same year directed how the net income of the fund was to be calculated[1]:
“RESOLVED that the Sullivan Fund net income be distributed annually in the first quarter of the calendar year, based on the prior year’s income.“AND FURTHER RESOLVED that a pro rata portion of the general administrative expenses of the Handley Board of Trustees be allocated to the Sullivan Fund, the pro rata allocation to be based upon the total annual income of the various funds.”
To this day, income as calculated by the above resolution continues to be provided annually to the Winchester branch of The Handley Regional Library.
Stewart Bell, Jr. Endowment for Excellence in Teaching: This fund rewards WPS teachers for their performance during the school year, which in turn enhances the WPS’ ability to attract and maintain qualified staff. A cash award is made annually to an outstanding teacher as recommended by peers and then selected by a committee, the chairperson of which is chosen by the Trustees. The awardee is selected from the school next in the rotation of the City’s eight schools. Since 1997, the Trust has awarded a total of $84,000[1].
[1] The Handley Board of Trustees, Bell Award Records.
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William H. Pifer Scholarship Fund
The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships at the discretion of the Handley Board of Trustees.