Millionaire Jack Garey donates estate for Georgetown park

[TexasTowelie]

This backyard tree belongs to Jack Garey, 83, who has donated hundreds of acres and $5 million to the city of Georgetown to develop a park on his property after his death. This month, he donated 200 more acres plus his house with all its artwork and antiques to the city. Photo: Rodolfo Gonzalez

GEORGETOWN —

One warm sunny day last month, Jack Garey drove to a hill at the top of his ranch while his English setter Duchess eagerly sprinted in front of him with her tail held high.

Garey, 83, got out of his all-terrain vehicle and stood on the front porch of his guesthouse, where he could see most of his 528 acres. The land borders the South San Gabriel River and includes two hills, two man-made lakes, several springs and the 6,000-square-foot Tuscan-style villa where he lives.

He’s giving it all — including the villa with its 19th century and modern paintings and furniture — to the city of Georgetown to develop as a park. He’s also throwing in a $5 million donation to help. “It is bigger than Central Park,” said Garey, who is retired from several careers as an attorney, construction company owner and a real estate developer. He now owns racehorses and runs a small mortgage company.

Garey and his late wife, Cammy Garey, announced their plans to donate the ranch in 2004, preserving a massive swath of green space that has grown all the more scarce as Williamson County fills with subdivisions and shopping centers. This year, by the end of August, the county had seen nearly twice as many housing starts as it did in the 2011 slump, and this fall, it topped Forbes’ list of America’s Fastest Growing Counties, logging an almost 8 percent growth in population between 2010 and 2012 (Hays County came in No. 3).

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/millionaire-jack-garey-donates-estate-for-georgeto/nccD9/ (subscription required).

[font color=green]The late Mrs. Garey was raised in Georgetown and was also a high school cheerleader there. The Garey's also contributed $15 million dollars to my alma mater, although neither of the Garey's attended Southwestern University. Mrs. Garey felt that it was the contribution was important because of the influence of the university on the town through the faculty and students.

Mr. Garey is also a member of the Southwestern University Board of Trustees.[/font]