Local Money Finally Finds a Cause

December 5, 2019 by Staff Report

“I have had a wonderful life and hope my will brings years of added happiness to others.” – Frances Spatz Leighton.

It was the dream of Leighton to share the fullness of her life with the people in her community who made her feel welcome and engaged.

Originally an Ornstein, Leighton was the daughter of the first Jewish family to move to Geauga County back in the 1920s. The Ornstein family owned and operated a dairy farm on Philips Road in Thompson Township. Leighton grew up there and graduated in 1937 from Thompson High School, later known as Ledgemont High School.

Frances was a prolific writer of poetry in her early days at The Ohio State University, and later went on to author several works, including her best-selling book, “My Thirty Years Backstairs at The White House,” chronicling the life’s work of Lillian Rogers Parks. This book became a mini series on NBC in 1979.

Although her fortunes were amassed through education and literature, her heart was moved by the memories she carried about the wildlife, nature and outdoor play in her beloved home of Thompson. It was her wish that, upon her death, part of her fortune be divided between Thompson Township and Ledgemont Schools for the purpose of a library reading room and library improvements, a continuing scholarship in poetry to Ledgemont students, and a wildlife and nature library at Thompson Ledges Township Park.

Her original will called for a clubhouse for the school and town, however, due to practicality and logistics, the Circuit Court of Fairfax County Virginia modified the original bequest.

Several factors made carrying out Leighton’s wishes extremely difficult for the court, as well as Thompson Township Trustees, including the challenge of property maintenance and how to carry out Leighton’s wishes after Berkshire Schools absorbed Ledgemont Schools. As a result of these issues and more, the disposition of her bequest was delayed for almost 10 years.

The decision was made to sell her family farm and split the proceeds between the Thompson Township Park Commission and the school district, which would now be Berkshire Schools. It was determined Thompson Township Trustees would be charged with allocating the funds and a court-appointed trustee would oversee distribution.

Fast forward to today and after much consternation and committee discussion of how to spend the nearly $700,000, the park commission has made improvements to Thompson Ledges for the benefit of visitors. These include paving, pavilion renovations and recently, a professionally-designed lookout stairway and observation deck.

According to William Hofstetter, trustee of the estate, money relegated to the school district currently totals $244,872.

The new Geauga County Public Library branch in Thompson Township will have a Frances Spatz Leighton Reading Room in her honor, housing a collection of her books, said library Director Ed Worso.

Under the direction of Berkshire Schools Superintendent John Stoddard and a committee of educators, the “Leighton Learning Lab” was proposed. If the trust’s trustee approves the project, it will be housed at Thompson Ledges and include an indoor and outdoor learning experience for the children of Thompson and Montville townships, the original Ledgemont kids. This will be a public facility, however, to be open to all, Stoddard said.

Inventionland Institute of Pittsburgh, Pa., will prepare and present the design proposal, which will provide one dimensional and three dimensional artistic concept modeling, space layouts and hands-on class activity programming of interior and exterior spaces, according to the institute’s Phase 2 proposal. The full scope of the project will be outlined in their comprehensive proposal, using approximately $34,000 of the bequest. The remainder of the school’s portion of the trust will be used for building materials, furniture, equipment, teacher resources, construction and maintenance, according to the proposal.

“The Thompson Ledges are very unique in terms of both geology and biology,” said school committee member and ecologist Jim Schafer. “The combined library with the classroom/laboratory specifically geared for the study of all aspects of the Ledges by students would be another unique learning experience to compliment the Kent State/Berkshire Project.”

The Inventionland Institute proposal for the design work was approved at the Nov. 18 Berkshire Schools Board of Education meeting and all follow-up will be managed by the school district moving forward. With good progress, a completed project might be realized by the 2020-21 school year.