A trust fund established by a longtime Region activist has given $1.2 million to the Porter County Library System.

The library system in a statement said the gift came from the Marjorie A. Mills Loving Trust. A life-long resident of Indiana, Mills was born in Hammond and graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in Whiting, later continuing her education Indiana University.

Marjorie and her husband Kenneth advocated for continuing, providing scholarships and leadership to the Region’s universities. Both were active in the community and were members of the Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society, with Marjorie serving as the organization’s first vice president.

“The (library) board is actively working to leverage this donation for the system and to see that it is used per Marjorie’s wishes—to enhance genealogical services to Porter County residents and visitors,” said Jesse Butz, director of the Porter County Public Library System. “Currently we are pursuing options with the Community Foundation to ensure Marjorie's generosity impacts generations to come.”

In 1990, the Mills made a $50,000 donation to memorialize their late daughter, Kathleen, to the Porter County Public Library System. She was the Mills only child and was pregnant when she was killed by a drunk driver.

With no immediate family living, the Mills decided to leave their assets to charity. The couple was married for 49 years, before Kenneth died from cancer in 1999. Marjorie passed away in March 2018.

The Larry J. Clark Genealogy Center at the Valparaiso Public Library houses a variety of genealogical resources including printed material, yearbooks, microfilm, indexes, databases and online resources.