History

Tracy Family Legacy Statement

Written by: The 12 children of Dorothy and Robert Tracy
Adopted: December 2000

Tracy Family

We created the Tracy Family Foundation as an expression of gratitude to our parents- Robert and Dorothy Tracy - for the wonderful gift they gave us - the examples of their lives.  Through them we learned the importance of hard work, honesty and integrity.  We learned from their steadfast Roman Catholic faith and their deep-seated commitment to serving the community.

Because of our understanding of their values and priorities, we chose to focus the mission of the TFF on youth, education, and strengthening families.  We believe this focus is sufficiently broad to allow the Trustees some latitude and yet sufficiently focused as to provide direction.  We trust these issues will remain at the forefront of the Foundation’s efforts.

RT & Dorothy raised all of us (12 children) in Brown County.  No matter how far the future generations of Tracys scatter on this earth in the years to come, Mt. Sterling will be considered home, and the root of our upbringing.  Dot Foods, the family business and the source of both initial and ongoing funds for the foundation, was started in 1960 in Mt. Sterling and continues to flourish there.  It is our wish that the Foundation continue to support the Brown County Commitment Statement prepared in the formative years of the Foundation. 

We also desire that the Foundation support activities in areas where family members reside outside of Brown County – if these family members so desire.  We want the Foundation to foster a sense of philanthropy for everyone in the family.

Because the Tracy Family Foundation was conceived as a “family” foundation, we would like the board of trustees to continue to be composed primarily of family members, including both direct descendants and in-laws. However, we also believe the foundation benefits tremendously from the presence and perspective of non-family members on the board, and would like to see this tradition continue.

Please make every effort to involve and include the next generation of the Tracy family members in the Foundation.  Fostering a grateful and giving spirit within the future generations is part of our mission and a priority.