FOUNDER

Edyth Bush (Mrs. Archibald G. Bush) was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Sarah and Eugene Bassler. She became a successful ballet dancer, actress, musician, composer and playwright. In 1941 she built, directed, and operated her own theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she moved after her marriage to Mr. A. G. Bush in 1922. He began his career with the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company as a bookkeeper in 1909 and became an officer, director, and principal stockholder by 1921. Before his death in 1966, he had amassed a personal fortune in excess of $300 million, formed his own foundation, helped establish several local banking institutions, and served on the board of trustees of Rollins College. Upon the death of her beloved husband, Mrs. Bush decided to make the family's winter home in Winter Park her permanent residence and remained in Central Florida for the balance of her life.

Edyth Bush early learned to help others when she assumed the responsibility for her family due to the untimely and early death of her father. This generosity and desire to help others help themselves was reflected in one of the resolutions adopted in 1966 upon the founding of the predecessor to this foundation, the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, and reaffirmed by the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation as follows:
"RESOLVED, That in the operations and distributions of this Foundation special consideration will be given to distributions and grants to charitable, religious, and educational organizations which are organized and operated to help underprivileged or needy people to improve themselves, or to relieve human suffering."

She was heard to remark on many an occasion that her foundation was the "child that she and Archie never had," a sentiment indicative of her commitment to the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation.

Mrs. Bush's personal benefactions included assisting handicapped children, the blind, the aged, the infirm, health care, and private educational institutions. Her philanthropic interests also included the performing arts, such as the symphony and the theater, interests which she supported until her death on November 20, 1972. Mrs. Bush's overriding interest was her love of the theater. She had a deep and abiding affection for drama, dance, and music. This commitment and love of the arts is best witnessed in her work as a playwright and composer memorialized by the Edyth Bush Theater in Orlando, Florida. An inscription on the Edyth Bush Gazebo at the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art in Orlando best captures the essence of one of the most outstanding personages of the Twentieth Century:
In honor of Edyth Bassler Bush, a woman devoted to goodness and beauty, a gardener who took pride in her roses, an artist who influenced the life of thousands, a philanthropist whose generosity lives on.

Her ultimate legacy to charity and public service was to leave the testamentary residue of her estate to the private foundation that bears her name.