Deb and Gary Hunt
Native West Virginians Deb and Gary Hunt grew up on opposite sides of their home state, meeting as students at West Virginia University. They married in 1970, and Gary was recruited by what was considered one of the Big Eight accounting firms in Pittsburgh upon his graduation from law school in 1973. Two years later, they tired of the big city traffic and opted for a change when Gary accepted a job offer from Battelle & Battelle in Dayton. When they moved two months after their second son was born in 1975, Gary joked he “actually had to get out a map to see where Dayton was.”
Our Dayton Foundation funds aid us in financially supporting the organizations aligned with our own goals of making the world a better place. – Gary Hunt, Dayton Foundation donor
The Hunts’ move to Dayton proved to be rewarding both professionally and personally. When their sons reached school age, Deb went back to school to earn her MBA from Wright State University and later her JD from the University of Dayton. She spent the majority of her career with Sebaly, Shilito + Dyer and frequently referred charitably inclined clients to The Dayton Foundation before her retirement in 2022. Gary, who retired in 2012 after 20 years on Battelle’s management committee, also has been a longtime champion of the Foundation, which the Hunts use to facilitate their charitable giving.
“Our Dayton Foundation funds aid us in financially supporting the organizations aligned with our own goals of making the world a better place,” Gary said. “Our Charitable Checking Account,℠ funded through cash and stock, and a Designated Fund we funded through IRA distributions, make our giving a painless experience. The Foundation handles all of the administrative details with minimal effort on our part.”
The Hunts’ desire to give back is rooted in their humble upbringings. Both Deb and Gary were raised by hard-working parents who volunteered to help their friends and neighbors because they didn’t have the financial means to support local charities, except for their churches.
We were the first in our families to go to college. We have been very fortunate in our careers and feel obligated to pay it forward. – Deb Hunt, Dayton Foundation donor
“Both of our fathers were proficient at mechanics, carpentry, electricity and plumbing, so they helped many of their friends who needed those services,” Gary said. “This inspired my first experience of helping others when I worked for Legal Aid during law school. It was satisfying to help people who didn’t have the resources to pay for legal assistance.”
“We were the first in our families to go to college,” Deb added. “We have been very fortunate in our careers and feel obligated to pay it forward.”
Fifty years after they arrived in the town they had to find on a map, the Hunts are considered to be an integral part of their community. Deb has served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, Miami Valley Child Development Centers (Head Start) and Wright State University Foundation. She currently serves on the boards of Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation and Think Tank, Inc. Gary has served on the boards, including as chair, of Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley and the Hundred Club of Dayton, and on the advisory board of 100+ Men Who Care. In addition, nearly $290,000 has been awarded from their Dayton Foundation funds to these organizations and other causes important to them since 2012.
The Hunts’ generous support for Greater Dayton nonprofit organizations will help keep their adopted community “on the map” for generations to come.
“Helping others makes us feel complete,” Deb said. “We want to be remembered as a family who paid it forward, and we hope our children and grandchildren have learned from our example and will continue that legacy.”