john pg 2 9-28-23
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WOODSTOCK — A pair of prominent business leaders will spearhead the Roseland Park & Golf Course Legacy Campaign “150 Years and Beyond.” The campaign’s goal is $500,000 and is aimed at restoring the combined property as it was originally designed and envisioned by Henry Chandler Bowen in 1876.
According to Martha Beckwith, president of the Roseland Board of Trustees, John Rauh, the former owner and president of Cableworks in Putnam will assume the role of Campaign General chairman. Local businessman Paul Kelly will be the Legacy Campaign Honorary chairman.
“These two individuals are proven leaders in the northeastern Connecticut area. We are proud that they’ve agreed to serve in these important leadership roles. Paul and John are enthusiastic about the park and golf course and its future,” said Beckwith.
Rauh established Cableworks in Putnam in 1984, following a decade of working in the steel cable industry as a sales representative. Originally from the Milwaukee area, Rauh has been a resident of Pomfret for more than 40 years. Rauh has been actively involved in Pomfret and Woodstock, serving two separate terms as a member of the Pomfret Board of Education. He’s also served for 20-plus years on the Woodstock Academy Board of Trustees, four years in which he served as board president. He was instrumental in the forming of the Woodstock Academy Foundation.
“I’m very committed to the Legacy Campaign because I believe that Roseland Park and Golf Course is an asset to the Town of Woodstock and northeastern Connecticut. I’d like to see it serve all the citizens of the area for generations into the future,” said Rauh.
Paul Kelly is a graduate of Woodstock Academy and UConn. He joined his father Edmund and his uncle Larry in the family business, Kelly’s Tire in 1973. For the last 42 years, he and his brother Dennis have owned and operated the business on School Street in Putnam.
Kelly, like his counterpart Rauh, believes in giving back to the community. He served as a member of the Woodstock Academy Board of Trustee for 38 years, retiring in 2023. He’s also been a member of the school’s foundation and served on the Putnam Bank and Foundation Boards of Trustees. He most recently served as the vice chairman of the successful Hale Youth & Family YMCA Capital Campaign, which raised $15 million for the establishment of the facility. He was an original member of the YMCA Advisory Board.
“I strongly believe in working for worthy causes that benefit the people of our communities. Roseland Park and Golf Course is a community asset that our generation is entrusted to preserving. We cannot afford to allow this facility to slip through our fingers. I’m committed to the success of the Legacy Campaign,” he said.
Roseland Park and Golf Course has engaged the services of former Woodstock resident and renowned park architect Wilson Martin of GroundView of the Boston area in planning for the future of the facility. The firm has been actively working with the Trustees in preparation for the Legacy Campaign.
“Shortly we’ll be announcing more information regarding our strategic plan and the organization of the remaining leaders of our fund-raising effort. We’re looking forward to enjoying a Roseland Park and Golf Course as envisioned by Henry Chandler Bowen nearly 150 years ago,” said Beckwith.
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