Alma Reitz Gives to the Places She Loves
"The Saint Louis Zoo has brought much joy to me over the years, and I hope it brings that joy to others for years to come," states Miss Alma Reitz about making her legacy plan for her beloved Zoo. Through her estate plan, she is establishing the Reitz Endowment Fund at the Zoo in memory of her family: her parents Henry and Edna F. Reitz, her sister Eileen A. Reitz, her brother Henry M. Reitz, and herself. In addition to the Reitz Endowment Fund, her generous support is recognized at Sea Lion Sound and in the hearts of her many Zoo friends. Her charm is irresistible, her wit delightfully sharp, and her quiet generosity an honor to celebrate.
Alma's family owned Reitz Brothers Stone Co. They were responsible for some of the stonework in Forest Park among other places in and around St. Louis. In the early 1920s, Alma's grandmother took her and her sister Eileen to the Zoo frequently. This was a time when cars and women drivers were not the norm, so the trip itself only added to the excitement of going to the Zoo! In the 1990s, it became a family tradition for Alma, her nephew and two great nephews to visit the animals at the Zoo on Christmas Eve. During a visit to the Zoo at age 98 with her niece Martha Kratzer, Alma reflected on her many years of visiting the Zoo by saying, "When my grandmother brought us to the Zoo, we'd see the animals. Nowadays, when parents bring their children here, it's both to see the animals and to educate the kids."
Alma's favorite animals are the hippos, many of whom she has supported through the Zoo Parents Program. One day she told a fellow Zoo visitor that she'd come to see her hippo children, to which he jokingly replied, "I see the resemblance!" This was right in line with Alma's keen sense of humor.
Alma earned a bachelor's degree at Lindenwood University and a master's degree at Washington University. After a brief tenure as a high school English teacher, she worked as a human resources manager for Sears Roebuck for 35 years. She volunteered at Deaconess Hospital and also at the Missouri Botanical Garden, where she was the first woman to join the answer service to field calls about gardening from the public. At the Zoo, Alma was a volunteer at the information desk and has been a Zoo Friend for many years.
Although it is Alma's style to be a quiet force of support for the places she loves, she graciously accepted the Donor Award at the 2015 Legacy Awards event sponsored by the Saint Louis Planned Giving Council in partnership with YouthBridge Community Foundation in August. Her niece Martha, inspired by her aunt to invest in those places she loves through volunteer and financial support, too, enjoyed the Legacy Awards event with family. On Alma's recognition award, Martha shared that "Aunt Almie has been an example to our family of what giving one's time and financial support to others means. A humble person, her nature is to give -- not for her own recognition -- but to make a positive difference in the lives of others through the places she loves."