A Legacy: Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Back in the 17th century, wealthy French explorer, Robert Cavelier de La Salle traveled from Canada to the wilds of the Gulf of Mexico. Where the Mississippi River branches, a tree was hewn, stuck into the ground and carved with the arms of the king of France. Its inscription stated, "Louis the Great, King of France and of Navarre, Reigns Here, April 9, 1682." Then the expedition listened to LaSalle loudly take possession of Louisiana, naming the vast territory in honor of Louis XIV; it amounted to one half of North America.
Fast forward to another ceremony on May 9, 2006 in the prairie region of Southern Wisconsin. Retired lawyers, husband and wife Bernard L. Schwartz and Charlotte Adelman, traveled from Wilmette, Illinois, to meet PF president Howard Vincent, vice president of development Bryan Van Deun, who traveled from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Wisconsin regional biologist Jeff Gaska, at the Footville Wildlife Area near Janesville, Wisconsin. Peering from beneath their umbrellas, they dedicated a custom aluminum plaque stating, "This land will be loved and respected and admired for all time thanks to the generosity and planning of Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz," and pounded the sign into the ground.
Despite pouring rain, the small group huddled together shaking hands. They were thrilled to have witnessed and been part of the organization's Habitat Legacy Society recognition of Adelman & Schwartz, while they are still alive, as the first members to have publicly identified PF as a beneficiary in their will and estate plans. Recognition included installing the personalized plaque on this 70 acre PF habitat project. It isn't half a continent, but Adelman & Schwartz anticipate seeing this pretty grassy landscape become a haven for bobolinks, meadowlarks, and other endangered grassland birds.
In fact, as Schwartz has noted, the reason they chose Pheasants Forever is that it does "what we're interested in doing; preserving land." PF doesn't "want it paved and plowed and turned into factories." Further, PF is "not interested in just pheasants. Pheasants Forever's mission is about all grassland species." The now forever preserved Footville Wildlife Area's prairie and its ongoing prairie restoration will ensure these birds and butterflies have a future.
You Can Help, Too!
If you're inspired by this story and Bill Baxter's dream, please consider visiting with us about how you might make a lasting contribution to Pheasants Forever and our wildlife habitat mission. With great passion and steadfast dedication, we can join the battle against rampant loss of open space, fight to protect wildlife habitat and preserve the hunting heritage. And we know we will succeed – if we follow Bill Baxter's example. Please, join us and act now.
Pheasants Forever is aggressively looking to partner with landowners to identify opportunities to acquire and accept donations of property. Those properties that are significantly valuable to our habitat conservation mission may be held and managed by Pheasants Forever or our new organization, The Forever Land Trust. In many cases, these contributions may also provide significant tax benefits for donors. Perhaps you or someone you know would be interested in leaving a legacy such as the one that has most definitely been left by our long-time friend, Bill Baxter.
For more information about how you can make a significant gift to Pheasants Forever, contact PF's Director of Development, David Bue, at (218) 834-3335 or by e-mail at dbue@pheasantsforever.org. You may also contact the Pheasants Forever Development Team toll-free at (877) 773-2070.
Would you like to leave YOUR legacy? Contact us today for more information.