“what side of history do you want to be on – on the side of slavery or on the right side?” – Charles DeGrandpre
Portsmouth, New Hampshire…“What side of history do you want to be on – on the side of slavery or on the right side?” These are the words many a corporate executive could expect to hear as a pitch for sponsorship from Charles DeGrandpre, Esq., the late legendary patron of New Hampshire nonprofits but most especially the champion of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH).
In fact, according to Valerie Cunningham, an incorporator of the BHTNH, it was DeGrandpre in his roles with the NH Charitable Foundation (NHCF) and its regional office, the Greater Piscataqua Community Fund, who initiated a diversity dialogue that would be formalized as the Diversity Committee and was funded by Irja and Frank Ciluffo. DeGrandpre invited Valerie to this truly diverse gathering, from which evolved the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc. and the expanded statewide organization.
Today, JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, Inc., announced receipt of a generous legacy gift from the estate of Charles DeGrandpre, who died earlier this year.
“We would not be where we are today without him; his legacy lives on in our daily work,” said JerriAnne. Presented by his daughter, Libby Giordano, to JerriAnne and Valerie, the gift will be used for Charlie’s favorite Trail program – expansion of the nonprofit’s Statewide Historical Marker Program. The program, which began with the iconic bronze site markers at 24 locations in Portsmouth, is one of the most visible and recognizable Trail programs and is seen as a foundational approach to expanding the nonprofit’s educational work across the state.
As principals of the Trail gathered today in memory of Charlie, they spoke fondly of how integral he was to the organization – both when the Trail was in its early formative stages as a Portsmouth-centered organization and later becoming a nationally recognized state institution, his firm provided the legal work such as establishing IRS nonprofit status for the Trail in Portsmouth, then later for the Black Heritage Trail of NH.
Valerie said “Charlie was one of those concerned citizens who was so passionate about history. He – and his law firm – tactfully guided us through the process to become a real organization. He was always encouraging us to do our best. It was never about him. He’d see something in the newspapers and send a handwritten note or a little gift because he knew we needed that encouragement. We had no money, just homegrown talent, but he made us feel that our efforts were worthwhile. He had other people invest in our endowment – it was small, but it made us feel significant and stable and helped others see us that way too. And, he became a personal friend, the big brother I never had.”
Libby recollected, “My father was very giving, very inclusive. He had the talent of making you feel you were the most important person in the room. His style was fatherly as he explained things, handholding while pushing you. He didn’t do a task for you but gave you the tools to do it and provided you with an infectious excitement.”
Maryellen Burke, Seacoast consultant, who is working with the Trail on program expansion, remembers, “I loved Charlie. Charlie was a leader in the state’s nonprofit community. He helped many organizations, but he kept his focus on the Trail above all, especially in his later years. Charlie was ahead of his time in knowing that race matters– how we talk about race and history in New England matters to us today. ‘It must be done’ he’d say. ‘Every company should be supporting the Trail.’ Tenacity, quiet commitment, humor – and the personal connection were always first with him. It’s my hope that this wonderful legacy gift will be matched in 2021 as part of the Statewide Black Heritage Trail Marker Fund. It will be a great way to leverage his gift.”
JerriAnne explained how the program to place markers across the state works. “An organization needs to submit an application to the Trail; upon approval, we’ll cover half the cost of the marker with the applying organization covering the balance.”
For more information about the Statewide Black Heritage Trail Historical Marker Program and how you can be a part of it, please send an email to info@blackheritagetrailnh.org.
To make a give to the Trail in memory of Charlie visit, https://blackheritagetrailnh.org/giving/
About Charles DeGrandpre
Charles Allyson DeGrandpre, a native of Jaffrey N.H., and longtime member of the Manchester, and then Portsmouth, N.H. communities, was one of the pre-eminent trust, and estate attorneys in NH, most recently serving as the senior director of the McLane McLane, Graf, Raulerson and Middleton Law Firm Portsmouth office. Charlie was former Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, former Chair of the Lou and Lutza Smith Foundation, former Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Strawbery Banke, former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Canterbury Shaker Village, a former director of the University of New Hampshire Foundation, and longtime board member for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Charlie was a student of life, a respected attorney, a loyal friend, a teacher, a writer, a leader, a mentor, a tenacious social advocate, a lifelong fisherman, a ruthless master of Monopoly, an amazing family organizer, and a devoted father. He touched and inspired so many people in his lifetime, and he will so deeply be missed. Charlie’s fingerprints can be found on many, many charitable estate gifts from our most generous donors that he helped inspire and skillfully craft.
