An Enduring Legacy: Why Pat Tutunjian Included an HCT Bequest in Her Will

On an exquisite afternoon at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, we had the delightful opportunity to take a stroll with Pat Tutunjian. She is generously including a bequest to Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) in her will, and we wanted to learn more about her decision-making process.

Our walk quickly felt like a meeting of old friends. We talked about all sorts of stuff, laughed a lot and admired the spectacular Cold Brook scenery. And it was inspiring and instructive to hear from Pat, a wonderfully thoughtful person, on how easy it could be to leave a lasting HCT legacy. 

A ‘love affair’ with Harwich

Pat has a deep connection to Harwich that started about 50 years ago, when her family rented a vacation cottage on Earle Road. “That’s where the love affair began,” she said. “We also spent time on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but everything kept coming back to Harwich. I think it’s the beauty of the town, not only the physical beauty, but I also believe there’s a really great mix of people here. Harwich was always so welcoming.” 

After college, Pat began a long and successful career in educational publishing with top tier companies including Houghton Mifflin and Simon & Schuster.

While working for Simon & Schuster, she was delighted to discover that the head of the company’s International Group hosted annual meetings at the Seadar Inn in Harwich Port. While the meetings were important, she likened the atmosphere to an “adult camp,” where attendees would take full advantage of nearby Nantucket Sound and all sorts of activities.

The experience led to another series of family vacations at the Seadar Inn in the following years. “This became the new family spot,” she said. In 2007, Pat purchased a home in Harwich. 

A welcoming HCT event 

She was still working at the time, and also maintaining a home in Canton, which she still owns. But Harwich was becoming a bigger part of her life, and as a person who highly values conservation efforts and the beauty of exploring nature, she became interested in HCT’s land-saving work.

Around 2009, she and her mother attended an HCT winetasting event hosted by the Cape Sea Grille. The duo was greeted by Robert F. Smith, a founding HCT Trustee and President of the Board of Trustees for HCT’s first 27 years.

“He made us feel so warmly welcome, and we had the best time,” said Pat. “It was great to meet these passionate people, folks who have a strategy.  They want to preserve land, open space, air, water, all of those good things. And they were doing it in such an engaging way, getting buy-in from the community.”

Planning a bequest to HCT

It’s probably no surprise that a savvy and farsighted person like Pat had always planned for the future. “I used to tell young colleagues in the office, start your 401K right away. If the company is giving you a match, you’ve got to take advantage of that. That money will just grow and grow.”

An important part of that financial picture is estate planning. “I had a great financial advisor that I hired when I was 25,” she said. “The first thing that she told me was go out and get a will, which was a little surprising at the time, but it was the best advice. You want everything to be organized.”

With her estate planning in place, Pat said it was a simple matter to include a bequest to HCT. “That part isn’t complicated at all,” she said. “I think the language that relates to HCT is just a few sentences.”

During her long career, Pat had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the country and around the world, observing places where the pressure of development had outpaced conservation initiatives.

“I saw so many cities or countries where you could tell that there wasn’t a vision on preserving space or water quality,” she said. “But here in Harwich, with HCT, we’re so fortunate to have a leadership team that has that strategy and the vision, and a community that really values their work.”

Are you curious about including HCT in your will? To have a confidential conversation, please reach out to Michael Lach, HCT’s Executive Director at 508-432-3997 or email mike@harwichconservationtrust.org. You can also find information about Planned Giving by clicking here.

Sample Language for a Bequest in Your Will

Donating funds to HCT to save land (or donating land itself) leaves a lasting legacy and enhances our shared quality of life in Harwich on Cape Cod.

Ways to give include annual gifts, donations to endowment, bequests via will, and “homes for habitat” where a property owner can gift their house to HCT. These generous contributions help HCT make a real difference in preserving and caring for sensitive natural lands for all time.

When folks ask about sample bequest language for a will, here’s what we suggest:

“I give (________ dollars) or  (____ percent of my estate) to Harwich Conservation Trust (federal tax I.D. number: 04-6599166), under a Declaration of Trust dated September 24, 1988 and recorded with the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds in Book 6456, Page 222, and registered with the Barnstable Land Court Registry District as Document No. 615,918, as amended, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 101, South Harwich, Massachusetts 02661 for the benefit of Harwich Conservation Trust, and for its general purposes.”

As always, thank you for your enduring support to save special places.

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.