In 1924, long time Turner President George Seibel had a visitor – Theodore Ahrens (right), his old friend from Louisville and member of the Turner executive committee. Ahrens was president of the Standard Sanitary Company – at the time, the largest manufacturer of bathroom supplies in the world. The company pioneered the use of enameled porcelain for its one-piece toilets and tubs, while developing combination faucets (that mix hot and cold water). It would soon merge with the American Radiator Company – and if you look in your bathroom, you might have an American Standard fixture.
That evening, Ahrens approached Seibel with the offer of a $5,000 donation to the Turners. Seibel was concerned that the generous gift could “be spent very quickly and leave not a trace behind,” and suggested that it become the start of a restricted endowment. Recalling an old and oft-used phrase, that “mental training is the stepchild of Turnerism,” he suggested that the new fund would be “devoted to stimulating the mental work in our societies, that would be more effective than anything else to keep alive the spirit of the old Turners and the social ideals they had labored for.” Ahrens agreed and donated an additional $5,000.
And so was born the Jahn Fund, governed by a Declaration of Trust, signed on July 13, 1925. It would be managed by its trustees, beginning with the original five, who then appointed their successors as needed. Seibel (left), a gifted writer, poet, critic, and radio personality, was chosen as its first chair. The first grant purchased books for the Girls’ Dormitory of the Normal College at Indianapolis. The second funded a competition for the best original poem in German. Throughout its history, the Fund has supported publication of American Turner Topics and hundreds of other worthwhile projects.
Through its 100 years, there have only been four chairmen: George Seibel, Rudolph Koenig, Henry Schroeder, and Frank Wedl. Under Frank’s leadership, with the help of his friend and trustee Hans Sammer, the Jahn Fund has grown into a substantial investment portfolio that continues to support the Turner philosophy.
In 1945, George Seibel wrote, “Our organization will be a great power only if it produces men and women who will think — men and women who will not be afraid to tread new paths, seek new truths, set up new landmarks.” That still holds true.