With Books and a Bequest, Arnold and Ann Leftik Support “America’s Mecca”

For Arnold and Ann Leftik, Mount Vernon isn’t just the historic home of the country’s first president. For them, it is what Arnold calls “America’s Mecca.”

After a trip to Valley Forge as a youth, Arnold became hooked on Washington, eventually collecting hundreds of books and biographies about the first president. The one-time owner of a chain of bookstores in Houston, his collection of Washington books is enormous.

“We have a collection that has a collection,” Ann quips.

To enhance the library at Mount Vernon, Arnold and Ann have donated hundreds of books with more donations to come. They have also added Mount Vernon to their estate plan, creating a bequest to help maintain this historic treasure.

“Our hope for the bequest is that Mount Vernon continues to grow and keeps on being a wonderful place for young people of America to find out what America is about,” Ann says. “We wouldn’t be here today as Jewish people and people of different faiths and of different races. None of that would come to fruition without George Washington at the beginning.”

Asked to name Washington’s most important contributions, Arnold points to Washington’s steadfast commitment to ensuring equality for adherents of all religious faiths in the United States—and his quelling of a potential attack on Congress by disgruntled army officers assembled in Newburgh, New York, in 1783.

“He wasn’t going to lead an attack on Congress,” Arnold says.

Thanks to their bequest, Arnold and Ann will keep the light of Mount Vernon burning brightly. They urge others to join them in securing the future of this American Mecca through a planned gift of their own.

“Washington is the key president for all Americans, no matter your background,” Ann says. “That’s why Mount Vernon is so important.”