In March 1949, O'Laughlin died with no immediate survivors. A member of the Gridiron Club, he bequeathed the "Journal" to the organization, a club for journalists in Washington, D.C. News reports valued the publication, "regarded almost as an official organ of the armed forces", at $500,000 ($ today). But the bequest, made in the form of a trust to be administered by the club, created a conundrum for the social organization. As one newspaper reported, "Publishing magazines is completely out of the club's line."