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Campaign Kickoff
The Roseland Park & Golf Course Legacy Campaign “150 Years and Beyond” held the kickoff of its $500,000 campaign Oct. 29 in the historic barn on the Roseland Campus. From left: Campaign General Chairman John Rauh, President of the Board of Trustees Martha Beckwith, and GroundView owners Eden and Wilson Martin. Courtesy photo.
Despite cool temperatures, steady rains and going up against the Patriots and Dolphins on CBS, the Roseland Park & Golf Course leadership team held its Kickoff event for The Legacy Campaign “150 Years and Beyond.” The event, which featured words from Board of Trustees President Martha Beckwith, Campaign General Chairman John Rauh and park architect and owner of GroundView Wilson Martin, was attended by a crowd that filled the historic Barn on the campus of Roseland.
Beckwith began by introducing Woodstock Academy student Lilliana Mercier who in the tradition of park founder Henry Chandler Bowen presented a stirringly patriotic rendition of the National Anthem.
Beckwith lauded the committee that put the event together. She thanked the Campaign Donor Relations Chairperson Pam Brown and the more than 25 volunteers who organized the festivities. She also touched on Bowen’s appreciation for the people of Woodstock and his affinity and patriotism for the U.S., noting that official opened on July 4, 1876, the 100th birthday of the country.
“Mr. Bowen’s dream was to have a park that could be enjoyed by the people of Woodstock and surrounding communities. Today’s event is our tribute to the man and his vision,” said Beckwith.
Rauh was eloquent in his words, thanking the leadership team for its work, noting that the campaign entered the Kickoff event with more than 40 percent of the campaign’s goal in hand. He referenced the Joni Mitchell song, “Big Yellow Taxi,” noting that Roseland “would not be paved over. He also said that as the lyrics of the song go, “That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” He promised that the restoration of the park would be accomplished as envisioned by Henry Chandler Bowen.
Wilson Martin of GroundView, a Boston-based Park and garden restoration firm and a former Woodstock resident, regaled the gathering with memories of working summers at Roseland Park and the golf course when he was a student at Woodstock Academy. He noted that physical changes to the park caused by natural disasters have taken a toll on the property since its founding.
Martin closed, assuring the crowd that “the restoration of the park will be designed to maintain and preserve the property as originally envisioned, especially the waterfront of the beautiful lake.”
Thanks to some preliminary design work by Martin and some views of the park presented by Trustee Dr. Jonathan Gradie, attendees had the luxury of placing ‘sticky notes’ on the maps with ideas, thoughts and suggestions for review and consideration by GroundView.
The Legacy Campaign, which has a goal of $500,000 for the initial phase has received commitments in excess of $200,000 in the early stages.
“We’re very pleased with the response to our requests. The spirit demonstrated at the Kickoff is an indication that people are interested in supporting our efforts. My thanks go out to all the members of our teams who are volunteering in this movement to preserve a true Woodstock landmark,” said Rauh.
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