Community Corner
Heritage Conservancy Honors William Hart Rufe
He has been named Chairman Emeritus as reward for more than 30 years of support for the nonprofit group.
More than 150 friends, family and Heritage Conservancy supporters recently gathered at Doylestown's to celebrate Judge William Hart Rufe III’s many years of service to the preservation group.
Acknowledging Judge Rufe’s 30-year legacy, Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) presented him with a citation on behalf of all of her Bucks County-based colleagues in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Bucks County Commissioners Charles Martin and Robert Loughery awarded Rufe a proclamation officially declaring April 15, 2011, as William Hart Rufe III Day.
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Additional citations honoring Rufe’s work in preservation also were provided by State Senator Chuck McIlhinney and Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick.
Heritage Conservancy’s chief preservation officer Jeffrey Marshall noted, "The sincerity of his belief in the importance of land preservation can best be summed up by the following quote from Wendell Berry, 'Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.'"
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The presentation ceremony concluded with Heritage Conservancy’s current chairman, Marvin L. Woodall, presenting Rufe with a custom-designed scroll from the conservancy’s board acknowledging him as Chairman Emeritus for life. Rufe remains an active member of the Conservancy’s board.
Rufe and his family directed that all proceeds from the event benefit the William Hart Rufe III Legacy Fund, which will support the internship program at Heritage Conservancy. That evening, the Conservancy announced that more than $25,000 has been raised for the fund.
In keeping with Rufe’s lifelong passion for birding, the mansion’s ballroom was decorated with colorful birdhouses hand-painted by local Girl Scouts from Troop 2919, Troop 22077 and Troop 21447.
Bucks County wildlife rehabilitation organization AARK delighted guests by providing an opportunity to meet live owls and a downy woodpecker during the cocktail hour.
Rufe guided the Heritage Conservancy from its humble beginnings as the Bucks County Conservancy through milestones such as the restoration of its historic Aldie Mansion headquarters, national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and the opening of its first New Jersey-based office at the Cliffdale Center in Pt. Murray.
It was under his guidance that Heritage Conservancy’s collective commitment to living green and giving green has helped ensure our region’s quality of life.
