Margaret Annis Boys was a traveler, who loved taking Sunday drives into the Oklahoma countryside with friends. She had a passion for native flowers and trees, and she would often identify the names of the flowers and trees for her traveling companions. She led a simple life, never married, taught elementary school and served as the principal of several schools during her 42-year career in education.
Ms. Boys had no immediate heirs and when it came time for her to think about who she would entrust her estate with, she called her bank trust officer who oversaw her finances and estate – she told him she would like to create an endowment to fund projects that would beautify and care for public parks and medians in Oklahoma City. He suggested the Oklahoma City Community Foundation would be the perfect organization to fulfill her dreams.
When Margaret Annis Boys passed away in 1990, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation received a gift of $1.5 million from her estate with the request to establish a trust in her name. A grant program was set up with an advisory committee to carry out the wishes of Ms. Boys.
Today, when you look around Oklahoma City, you will see the legacy she left behind as public parks and medians, schools and neighborhoods – all benefitting from one woman’s gift and a thoughtful reminder, that illustrates how anyone can make a difference in their community.
