Mayor Chris Beutler and the Lincoln Parks Foundation today announced that three significant gifts from the Kenneth J. Good estate will be used to fund two new program initiatives and a key amenity in Union Plaza.

Good passed away in July 2008 at the age of 92. He was a UNL graduate who had a 31-year career as a soil scientist with the USDA Soil and Conservation Service in Lincoln.

Mr. Good had a passion for parks, trees, and gardens, and these gifts will enable us to share his passion with future generations, said Mayor Beutler. We are pleased that he recognized our excellent parks system and chose to support it in this way. His generosity is an inspiration to all of us, and we will work to find ways to leverage his gifts with other private and public resources while protecting Mr. Goods intent and wishes.

The first gift will establish a Public Gardens Internship, endowed through the Good estate in the amount of $162,000. This endowment will be managed by the Lincoln Parks Foundation. The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with the University of Nebraska Horticulture Department will select and supervise an annual paid internship for one student to receive hands on training in the development and management of public gardens.

This gift from Mr. Good will benefit not only aspiring horticulturalists, but all those who enjoy our public gardens in Lincoln and beyond, said Lynn Johnson, Director of the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department.

The second gift will establish the Tree Legacy Program. The Kenneth J. Good Environmental Enhancement Fund at the Lincoln Community Foundation will fund the initial infrastructure costs to create memorial tree groves across Lincoln. The public will be able to purchase trees as memorials to loved ones. The initial two tree legacy groves will be built at Mahoney Park and Antelope Park. The gift from the Good estate will help us create the appropriate amenities to provide a place of serenity and reflection for Lincoln families now and for generations to come, said Johnson.

To provide additional support for the Tree Legacy program, the Lincoln Community Foundation will match the initial $50,000 in donations from the public. The match is made possible by two endowed funds held at the Lincoln Community Foundation: the Kenneth J. Good Endowed Fund and the Marjorie Barstow Endowed Fund. Interested individuals can purchase memorial trees at the $100, $250, and $500 levels and will receive varying levels of recognition for those gifts. The Tree Legacy program offers other donation options and recognition in addition to the purchase of memorial trees.

Each year the Parks Foundation receives countless inquires from residents who want to donate a tree as a tribute to or in memory of someone they love throughout the Lincoln Parks system, said Christie Dionisopoulos, President of the Lincoln Parks Foundation. At the same time, the Parks Department has challenges in tending to newly planted trees across the City. This program allows residents to purchase living legacies and ensures an efficient use of City resources and tax dollars. The Tree Legacy program is a shining example of public private partnerships at their best.

The third gift from the Kenneth J. Good estate in the amount of $150,000 has been accepted by the Lincoln Parks Foundation to fund a fountain in Union Plaza. The fountain will be at street level between O and P streets and will represent the precipitation that falls on the plains, supporting native landscapes and agriculture in our State.
Good was born in Peru, Nebraska and moved to Lincoln at age 13. He attended Lincoln High and graduated from UNL in 1937 with a bachelors degree in Agricultural Sciences, majoring in Agronomy. He served in the armed forces overseas, and upon his return from England, he began his career with the USDA.

Vicki Huff, trust officer at Union Bank and personal friend of Mr. Good, said he denied himself many creature comforts to accumulate a substantial nest egg to benefit charitable organizations in Nebraska committed to parks, trees and gardens. Ken was a gentle and compassionate man who left life a much better place for him having been in it, Huff said. He will be missed but his gifts represent his passions for many years to come.