For years, Terence “Terry” Kahn lived in a way that gave little indication he had accumulated millions of dollars.
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he → live → dollars
The Indianapolis man lived in a modest home, drove an old Honda and avoided owning a cellphone because he considered it an unnecessary expense.
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it → live → cellphone
Even his longtime attorney and friends were surprised by the size of his fortune.
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attorney → surprise → fortune
When Kahn died in 2021, the value of his estate exceeded $13 million.
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value → die → million
Much of that money was eventually distributed to Indianapolis-area nonprofits, but the organizations receiving the calls had not necessarily been expecting anything.
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organizations → distribute → anything
One of those calls went to Teachers’ Treasures, an Indianapolis nonprofit that provides free school supplies and educational materials to teachers serving students in need.
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that → go → need
In October 2021, executive director Margaret Sheehan received an unexpected call from Indianapolis attorney Dwayne Isaacs, who was representing Kahn’s estate.
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who → receive → estate
The message was difficult to believe: Teachers’ Treasures could receive a major donation, anywhere between half a million to a million dollars.
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Treasures → believe → donation
The nonprofit says Kahn’s estate ultimately offered it $1.6 million, a gift that helped establish its first-ever endowment fund and support its work providing classroom supplies.
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that → say → supplies
A phone call that sounded too good to be true
The story of Kahn’s fortune began long before the unexpected calls to Indianapolis charities.
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story → sound → charities
According to Indianapolis Monthly, Isaacs had known Kahn since the 1990s, when they were connected through the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis.
uncertain
they → accord → Indianapolis
Kahn was then serving as chief of human resources at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center and was a member of the foundation's board.
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Kahn → serve → board
Kahn was known for being extremely careful with money.
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Kahn → know → money
The man lived in an unassuming bi-level home in the solidly middle-class Holly Hills subdivision off Southport Road.
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man → live → Road
He and Isaacs later became regular lunch companions after Kahn left the foundation's board.
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Kahn → become → board
Their lunches often involved coupons and inexpensive restaurants.
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lunches → involve → coupons
Kahn did not own a cellphone and was known for looking for bargains.
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Kahn → own → bargains
But beneath that frugal lifestyle, Kahn was steadily accumulating wealth.
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Kahn → accumulate → wealth
He had earned degrees in psychology and public administration from the University of Southern California, served in the US Army in Vietnam and subsequently built a long career with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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He → earn → Affairs
He eventually spent 27 years at the Roudebush VA Medical Center before retiring around 2003.
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He → spend → 2003
Kahn also inherited money from his parents who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and settled in US.
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who → inherit → US
He grew up alongside his sister in Tucson, where their father was a doctor at the VA hospital.
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father → grow → hospital
Kahn invested the inherited money, helping his wealth grow over the years.
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wealth → invest → years
At one point, he told Isaacs he had accumulated roughly $3 million to $4 million and wanted his eventual fortune to go to charity.
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fortune → tell → charity
He did not, however, settle on a detailed list of beneficiaries.
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He → settle → beneficiaries
His wealth surprised even those close to him
Kahn's fortune grew substantially beyond the figure he had previously disclosed.
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he → surprise → figure
Shortly before his death, Isaacs and Vance McLarren, who was involved in the administration of Kahn's estate, learned that the man's wealth had surpassed $13 million.
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wealth → involve → million
The revelation stunned them.
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revelation → stun → them
Indianapolis Monthly reported that Kahn's fortune consisted partly of inherited money but also reflected years of saving and investing.
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fortune → report → saving
The Washington Post later reported that Kahn's estate ultimately distributed a little more than $13 million to about a dozen Indianapolis nonprofits over roughly two years.
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estate → report → years
Kahn died on January 31, 2021, at age 77.
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Kahn → die → age
He had no immediate family of his own, and his instructions were that his money should ultimately go to charity.
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money → have → charity
He also had some unusually specific wishes about his death: he wanted to be cremated, did not want a funeral and did not want money spent on an obituary.
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money → have → obituary
The estate began calling nonprofits
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estate → begin → nonprofits
After Kahn's death, Isaacs and McLarren took on the task of distributing his money.
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Isaacs → take → money
Rather than simply giving away small amounts over many years, they looked for organizations where a large contribution could make a meaningful difference.
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contribution → give → difference
Isaacs researched nonprofits, including their missions and financial records, before approaching them.
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Isaacs → research → them
The organizations often had no idea the calls were coming.
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calls → have → idea
Each organization was assured that there would be no lengthy application process to slog through, no need to turn in annual reports or financial disclosures.
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organization → assure → reports
They needed only to submit a few pages describing how the money would be used and sign a simple one-page agreement.
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money → need → agreement
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
