Creating a Brighter Future

The loyalty and generosity of a charter member of Civil Air Patrol's Nellis Senior Squadron was on full display at a banquet Jan. 12, 2020 in Las Vegas when a gift of $450,721 was made official.

The gift from the Charles and Lenke N. Tarr Fund came 20 years after Charles' death. It was one of 17 gifts distributed at the banquet, all to organizations and charities that Tarr supported during his 84 years of life.

"Charlie's dream was to make this a better world," said Jerry Engel, who first mer Tarr in the 1950s when both men were new to Las Vegas. The two men became friends and Engel, a certified public accountant, suggested to Tarr that he establish a trust fund. Engel served as a trustee of the fund from its inception until its closing.

The Nellis Senior Squadron was formed in 1988 and over the years Charles Tarr served in many capacities. He was a natural fit for Civil Air Patrol, having flown B-17 bombers in 42 missions during World War II.

When Tarr died Dec. 31, 1999, he left a sizable trust. For the first 19 years of the fund, gifts of either $500 or $1,000 were distributed annually among the 17 recipients. The Nellis Senior Squadron received $1,000 annually. The remainder of the fund, totaling $5.4 million, was distributed at the January banquet.

The $450,721 designated for the Nellis Senior Squadron will be managed by the Civil Air Patrol Foundation. The gift is the first endowment dedicated to supporting a local unit, said Kristina Jones, CAP's chief of philanthropy.

"We are glad to offer the foundation as a manager of these types of gifts, which are intended to have a meaningful impact for years to come," Jones said.

The foundation's goal is first to help the donor fulfill his wishes and second to develop a process to decide how the annual payments will be used. The foundation wants to be good stewards of the funds, Jones said, to ensure stability and a clear decision-making process.

Lt. Col. Malcolm Arnot, deputy commander of the Nellis squadron, talked about future uses of the proceeds during the January banquet.

"The donation means a great deal to the Nellis Senior Squadron in that it will allow the squadron to provide meaningful and robust training to all our members and provide mission support to our operations," Amor said at the banquet.

The donation will ensure that squadron members get the best training possible in professional search, rescue and emergency services. Some of the funds will be used for much-needed renovations, repairs and upgrades to the operations center, which is located at North Las Vegas Airport. Squadron members want the current operations building to be a state-of-the-art facility with the latest electronics. The facility houses the Nellis squadron's two aircraft and is used by other CAP squadrons in southern Nevada.

"We believe Charles would be proud of his contributions to CAP," Arnot said at the banquet, "and we are certainly very proud of him."

If you're interested in learning more about including Civil Air Patrol in your estate plans and/or setting up a permanent scholarship fund or endowment fund, we would love to talk with you. Contact Ms. Kristina E. Jones, M.A., CFRE, at 833-426-4227 (toll free) or legacy@gocivilairpatrol.org.