To tell the history of Effie Good is to tell the history of Guilford. She was a lifelong resident who loved the family homestead and loved the town. A Persian violet planted by her grandfather and a one-hundred-year-old rose bush graced her property. She was related to the Leetes and Scrantons and had their coat of arms on the parlor wall. Her uncle owned the hardware store that was later sold to the Pages.

Effie taught typing and stenography at the Morgan School in Clinton. Later, she worked as a secretary at the YMCA in Hartford. Even at home, she used stenography in her notes. “She was a gentlewoman in every sense of the word.” Say Basil Duncan. Tall and statuesque with an air of confidence, she cared about her flowers, her cats, the Leetes Island Garden Club, and the people of Guilford. For years, she provided flower therapy to the Fowler Nursing Home. As she aged and was confined to her home, she would often read the local newspapers two or three times until she felt she knew all about the people and happenings of Guilford. She died at the age of 91.

In 2007, The Guilford Foundation received $310,000 from Effie’s estate, the largest donation in our history. Effie made no stipulations except to “keep it local.” Between this donation to The Guilford Foundation and the donation of the family property valued at over $2.5 million to the Guilford Land Trust, this quiet, unassuming yet frugal woman is probably Guilford’s greatest philanthropist. The Guilford Foundation will use income and occasionally principal to support the people and projects of Guilford for generations to come.

To learn more about Effie’s generous donation to the Guilford Land Trust, click this link.