Richard Tucker
My memories of the Honeywell Foundation start as a child when I was active in the Wabash Community Service programs. I had the very good fortune to be involved in the woodworking shop classes; photography instruction and use of the dark room; and working in the ceramics room making art objects, which I proudly presented to my mother.
As a high school student, I attended many Wabash Apache basketball games in the Honeywell Gym. During my Junior and Senior years, I was the announcer for the games, which helped with my public speaking in later life. After the games, fun times were had in the Apache Way, having a soda with friends and, if possible, snagging a booth in the "twosome lane" with a girlfriend. The skating rink also provided many hours of enjoyment and entertainment with friends, along with a few bruises.
The Honeywell Foundation has enriched the community and surrounding areas over the years with entertainment offerings that go above and beyond what anyone could believe possible for a town the size of Wabash. It has been my good fortune over the years to be exposed to much of this entertainment. I have been a member of the Wabash Valley Music Association for many years, dating back to when the programs were held in the Gym-atorium, now known as Legacy Hall.
In my later years, the Honeywell Foundation has afforded me the opportunity to give of my time through volunteer work. Many organizations seem to view volunteers as a burden, but not the Honeywell Foundation. The staff at the Honeywell Foundation seem to welcome the extra help and the opportunities to volunteer are endless. I volunteer as an Educational Outreach Ambassador, assist children who attend the summer arts camp and winter and spring bashes, serve as a tour guide, delivery person, host at the Dr. James Ford Historic Home, and have been a member of the Christmas decorating team for more the past 13 years.
If Mark C. Honeywell had not had the foresight to build the Honeywell Center and establish the Honeywell Foundation, I would not have had these opportunities and memories. The Honeywell Foundation continues to enhance my life each day. It is my desire for others to experience the joy and fulfillment that the arts have provided in my life. I chose to make a planned gift to the Honeywell Foundation by designating a portion of my estate to support the programs that I am passionate about. I am confident the Honeywell Foundation will steward my planned gift so that the arts will continue to enhance the lives of people of all ages for generations to come.