In the Matter of the Trust of Vale, Unpublished Decision (4-5-2000)
In the Matter of the Trust of Vale, Unpublished Decision (4-5-2000)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Appellant Bexley Hall appeals a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, which held the proceeds of the Samuel C. Vale Trust should be distributed to appellee Kenyon College. Appellant assigns a single error to the trial court:In its judgment entry of April 16, 1999, the trial court found the Last Will and Testament of Samuel C. Vale was executed in December of 1965. Item VI of the Will provided after certain disbursements, the rest, residue and remainder of the estate was to be held in trust. Item VI made provisions, inter alia, for decedent's step-daughter, Helen Emerson Turner. Under the will, Turner received an annuity of $300.00 per month for life. After Turner died, the remainder of the trust was to be given to the "Divinity School of Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio." In April of 1966, Samuel C. Vale died. At the time the will was executed, and at the time of Samuel C. Vale's death, Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, had a theological division which was commonly referred to as "Bexley", referring to the building in which it was housed. In 1968, by agreement, Kenyon College and the theological division separated, and the theological division incorporated in the State of New York, taking the name of Bexley Hall. At the time of Turner's death, Bexley Hall was associated with other divinity schools under Colgate Rochester Divinity School, headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bexley Hall and Kenyon College had no relationship at the time, but Kenyon College does have a religion department, and Kenyon College maintains an affiliation with the Episcopal Church. The judge found the parties did not dispute that the exact terms of the Samuel C. Vale trust could not followed today with regards to distribution. Thus, the Executor of the Estate of Helen Emerson Turner applied to the court find the proper recipient which is closest to the testator's original intention. The court reviewed the will and held it could ascertain the intention of the testator from the instrument itself. Because the will contains specific language that the remainder should go to "the Divinity School of Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio", the court found it is clear Kenyon College was the intended beneficiary, and the purpose of the trust was to promote a program of religious instruction at Kenyon College. The court further found the interests of all of the beneficiaries of Samuel C. Vale's will vested at the date of his death, April 18, 1966. The court found the clear intention of testator was that on that date Kenyon College was the vested beneficiary of residue of the trust. The court ordered the proceeds of the trust be distributed to Kenyon College, and this appeal ensued. Appellant urges the probate court's finding is against the manifest weight of the evidence. Appellant correctly cites C.E. Morris Company v. Foley Construction Company (1978),
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, is affirmed.
____________________ GWIN, P.J.,
HOFFMAN, J., and WISE, J., CONCUR.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.