A charitable trust was established Tuesday to cement the legacy of Owensboro icon Jack T. Wells. The goal of the Jack T. Wells Charitable Trust — which received a pair of founding contributions that totaled $75,000 — is to provide for those in need in the Owensboro community for decades to come.
The establishment of the trust immediately followed an announcement that the Owensboro-based Canteen Service Company — of which Wells was the former owner and senior partner — has been acquired by Tennessee-based Five Star Food Service.
Mike Simpson and Eugene Hargis will serve as Co-Trustees of the trust.
“Jack was proud of his home community and the trust he leaves behind will make a significant impact on Owensboro & Daviess County,” Simpson said. “Jack served this community with an exuberance and passion few could match. … An entrepreneur through and through, Jack was a man of tremendous foresight. As such, Jack crafted an estate claim that should he leave this earth, he would continue to leave a legacy on his hometown.”
The founding donation of $50,000 came from the remaining partners of Canteen Service Company of Owensboro — including Simpson, Keith Sharber, Joe Natcher, Gary Schroader and Keith Survant.
A second contribution of $25,000 was made by Five Star’s nonprofit foundation Feeding the Future, whose mission is to end childhood hunger. Chief Revenue Officer Greg McCall presented the check.
“As this transaction was being done and we learned more about the plans for the Jack Trust, we thought this would also be a great opportunity to also make a donation,” McCall said.
Hargis, co-executor of Wells’ estate, said that In the coming months they will unveil the protocol for making applications to the Jack T. Wells Charitable Trust.
“Jack gave specific instruction that his legacy trust was to benefit charities in Owensboro and Daviess County, so he afforded us tremendous flexibility with those not-for-profits we will select for grants,” Hargis said.
Prior to Wells’ death last year, one of Wells’ many community roles was chairman of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President and CEO Candance Castlen Brake said Wells made their organization — and everything he was a part of — better, and the trust will continue that legacy.
“Through this trust, he will continue to make our community better for decades to come,” she said. “It’s a perfect beginning of the next phase of Jack Wells’ legacy in this great community of ours.”
Simpson echoes those sentiments.
“Jack T. Wells will continue to make an impact on his hometown for years to come,” Simpson said. “His legacy as an iconic Owensboroan will live on through his generosity. I’m confident Owensboro and Daviess County will be a much better place to live because Jack never forgot where he came from.”
