Music Lover's Legacy Gift Hits All the Right Notes:
George Grim's Estate Gift Helps to Cement a Solid Future for the Orchestra

The late George Grim made an indelible imprint on the social fabric of the Twin Cities. This beloved journalist was widely recognized as a columnist, foreign correspondent, and radio and television personality.

But only a few people knew he was a member of the Minnesota Orchestra's Laureate Society, the circle of donors honored for taking the visionary step of including a future gift for the Orchestra in their estate plans. In this area, George chose anonymity, not wanting to reveal his generosity during his life.

Dorothie "Dottie" Dekko, a longtime friend of George, was among the few who knew of his plans for the Orchestra. George's estate gift for the Minnesota Orchestra was always there," she says. "I cannot remember a time when it wasn't."

George's appreciation of classical music and the Minnesota Orchestra can be traced to the symphony concerts his parents took him to when he was growing up in New York. Studying to be a concert pianist, he was good enough to perform in Carnegie Hall while quite young. He abandoned his plans to be a professional musician, Dottie recalls, only when "he realized how much practicing it involved." Still, throughout his life he remained anaccomplished organist.

George knew that experiencing the power of classical music while young had shaped him in countless ways. It also made him a big fan of the Minnesota Orchestra's educational programs.

"George believed that if you have exposure to music when you're young—no matter what happens later in life—it will always stay with you," Dottie says. "That's why the Orchestra's Young People's Concerts were so important to him. Many of these children wouldn't have come to Orchestra Hall if the concerts weren't availableto their schools."

After traveling the world, George retired to Key Biscayne, Fla., and despite the distance from the Twin Cities, he never wavered in wanting to assist the Minnesota Orchestra. Dottie understands clearly whyGeorge chose to make the Orchestra part of his legacy.

"He wanted to be sure Minnesota would always have the Minnesota Orchestra. He knew thatleaving a future gift would help realize this dream, and he would never have considered anything else."

As Dottie reflects on George, their many years of friendship, his life's work and his deep appreciation of music, she captures the essence of a man who made a living expressing his views publicly while privately holding a charitable vision close to his heart.

"I know George would be very, very pleased about the gift he made through his estate," she says. "He would have a big smile on his face. In fact, he'd probably write a column right now encouraging people to make their own estate gift, no matter the size, and would share with us how happy he is to have done so himself."