When Executive Director of the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Bryan Bashin received this missive, he was perplexed: "A businessman has passed away. I think you might want to talk to us."
The communication was apparently about a bequest of over $125 million from Seattle millionaire Donald Sirkin to the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The gift was a mystery, so was the giver.
Neither Bashin nor the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has had any previous contact or encounter with Donald Sirkin. The will does not give any explanation either, just a few lines indicating Donald Sirkin's wish to give to the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco.
Bashin did what most people would do under such incredible circumstances, he set off to find out about this generous benefactor.
Bashin did not need too long to create the picture of Donald Sirkin and his life. According to Bashin's interview with friends and colleagues, Donal Sirkin was a dynamic, charismatic businessman given to big gestures and generosity. Especially in the later years of his life, he seemed to become more given to healthy diets and extended exercise. Even when he travelled, he ate in his hotel room and stayed in his room to exercise rather than go out. He calorie-restricted diet was mostly made of seaweed and pomegranate juice. Eventually, Donald Sirkin became a recluse and lived most of his remaining years in a little room off the kitchen at his private estate in Puget Sound. The house itself was in shambles and in dire need of repair. This house was part of Donald Sirkin's donation to the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
