Don Robinson decided to grant 843 acres of his own personal wild paradise to the Department of Natural Resources after his death, so that the land can be used to create a new Missouri state park.
Don Robinson, an 81-year-old Missouri businessman, got rich inventing a household cleaner and developing subdivisions. But he didn’t use his money to buy a luxury home of his own—instead, he bought land. Lots of it.
Now, Robinson lives in a tiny shack surrounded by hundreds of acres of canyons, cliffs, and forests—and he’s just decided to grant 843 acres of his own personal wild paradise to the Department of Natural Resources after his death, so that the land can be used to create a new Missouri state park. His generous donation is the same size as New York City’s Central Park, and a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources, Sue Holst, says that it’s the largest land donation that she’s seen in her 25 years with the agency.
For Robinson, the decision to donate came down to his respect for the land. He doesn’t have children to pass it on to, and “You’ve got to have somebody here, or they’ll turn it into a dirt bike track,” he told the Associated Press.
Robinson has just one request for the new park that will be established after his death: He’d like it to be named the Don Robinson State Park. “There’s a lot of Robinsons, but only one me,” he said. And besides, for a donation this generous, he says, ““I think I should get a couple of brownie points.”
Can’t argue with him there.