Geoffrey Holt, who wore threadbare clothes, rode a bicycle and died in June at 82, donates fortune to home town of Hinsdale
Geoffrey Holt was the unassuming caretaker of a mobile home park in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, where he lived a simple but curious life.
Residents would see Holt around town in threadbare clothes – riding his lawnmower, headed to the convenience store, parked along the main road reading a newspaper or watching cars pass.
He did odd jobs for others, but rarely left town. Despite having taught high schoolers to drive, Holt had given up driving a car. He opted for a bicycle instead, and finally the mower. His mobile home was mostly empty of furniture. No TV or computer either. The legs of the bed went through the floor.
“He seemed to have what he wanted, but he didn’t want much,” said Edwin “Smokey” Smith, Holt’s best friend and former employer.
But Holt died earlier this year with a secret: he was a multimillionaire. What’s more, he gave it all away to this community of 4,200 people.
His will had brief instructions: $3.8m to the town of Hinsdale to benefit the community in the areas of education, health, recreation and culture.
“I don’t think anyone had any idea that he was that successful,” said Steve Diorio, chair of the town select board, who’d occasionally wave at Holt from his car. “I know he didn’t have a whole lot of family, but nonetheless, to leave it to the town where he lived in … It’s a tremendous gift.”
The money could go far in this Connecticut River town, sandwiched between Vermont and Massachusetts with abundant hiking and fishing opportunities and small businesses. It’s named for Ebenezer Hinsdale, an officer in the French and Indian Wars who built a fort and a grist mill. In addition to Hinsdale’s house, built in 1759, the town has the nation’s oldest continually operating post office, dating back to 1816.
There has been no formal gathering to discuss ideas for the money since local officials were notified in September. Some residents have proposed upgrading the town hall clock, restoring buildings or buying a new ballot-counting machine in honor of Holt, who always made sure he voted. Another possibility is setting up an online drivers’ education course.
Organizations would be able to apply for grants via a trust through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, drawing from the interest, roughly about $150,000 annually.
