Marie Ingalls

Marie S. Ingalls (born 1917 in West End; died June 26, 2004 in Rochester, Minnesota), was a socialite, civic leader and philanthropist. She was married in 1964 to Robert Ingalls, Jr, son of the steel and shipbuilding magnate.

Among her many positions with non-profit organizations were the presidency of the Alabama Kidney Foundation and chairmanship of the Baptist Health Foundation and the Alys Stephens Center advisory board. She also worked closely with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Women's Committee of 100, the American Liver Foundation, the Antiquarian Society, the Salvation Army, Alabama Goodwill Industries, and the Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens Advisory Committee.

The City of Birmingham honored Ingalls as the "Woman of the Year" for 1984. She was recognized as the State's "Outstanding Philanthropist" by the Alabama Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 1991.

The "Ingalls Grand Foyer" at the Alys Stephens Center is named in her honor, as is the Ingalls Center of Pastoral Ministries at Princeton Baptist Medical Center.

Dispute over estate

The distribution of Mrs Ingalls' $6.6 million estate was contested in December 2004 by a court-appointed attorney representing Ingalls relatives, none of who were named in the document. A settlement provided $500,000 to 101 identified relatives, the closest of which was a first cousin living in Florida. Baptist Health System then filed another challenge, claiming that Ingalls had pledged an additional $1 million to their pastoral care center. Part of the challenge involves the possibly undue influence exercised by James Roberts, the attorney who is serving as executor. The Sayre Revitalization Corporation, a non-profit with ties to Roberts' wife Bonnie stands to receive 40 percent of the funds distributed from the estate. Other beneficiaries include UAB, the Mayo Clinic, Rotary International, and Roberts himself.

References

• Hubbard, Russell (September 17, 2006) "Ingalls estate, Baptist Health in $1 million battle." Birmingham News.
• "Marie Ingalls, supporter of arts, dies. (June 29, 2004) Birmingham News.