In this episode of Holy Donors, Andrew, Matt, Thaddeus, and Rhen return to tell the story of what happens to Tim Scanlan’s fortune after he passes away without a will. When Scanlan dies, he is survived by seven daughters. Despite his lack of a formal written will, Scanlan had told his family and his attorney that all of his money should be given equally to his daughters, and upon the deaths of his children, the remaining money should be used to support the Catholic Church.
The Scanlan sisters work to fulfill what they know to be their father’s wishes. They first finish building a tall office building, the Scanlan Building, on family property in downtown Houston. In subsequent years, they work to run the family business, and they start a few small side businesses of their own. None of Scanlan’s daughters, however, share his ambitious nature, and the sisters live a relatively humble, anti-social life.
Every so often, however, unfavorable circumstances would force the sisters into a legal battle in order to protect the wealth of their father’s estate. Our hosts describe these battles and the sisters’ response to adversity. Unfortunately, because of this controversy, the remaining sisters (2!) eventually move out of Houston and cut ties with the city. The sisters continue the family’s charitable endeavors from their new home, supporting many Catholic organizations and families.
In 1950, Stella, the last remaining Scanlan sister passes away, and her will is hotly contested by distant cousins. The future of the Scanlan fortune remains uncertain for many months, and in next week’s episode, we will hear more details about if and how the Scanlan family continues to fulfill Tim Scanlan’s wishes for Catholic philanthropy.
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Recommended reading:
The Story of the Scanlan Foundation. Platek, Julie. Houston: The Scanlan Foundation, 2016. Print.
Can be found here or on the following website: https://scanlanfoundation.org/about-us/#our-history
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