At the annual meeting in June, the nominating committee of the Friends of the Wissahickon presented a slate of changes to the Board of Directors, which was unanimously ratified by the membership.

            Seven board members (Bill Hengst, Ken LeRoy, Bob Lukens, Chris McCabe, David Pope, Buzz Wemple, and Sarah West) whose terms had expired were re-elected for new three-year terms. Patsy Walsh, who has served on the board for many years, was appointed to the Advisory Board and named a board member emeritus.

            Three new board members were elected, filling the vacancies created by the resignations of Brooks Mullahy, Dan Pardo, and Patsy Walsh.

            The new members include:

Pamela Ende -- An attorney active in civic affairs, especially on quality-of-life issues, Pamela is a board member of the PA Partnerships for Children and the 21st Century League. She lives in Chestnut Hill and is a daily user of the Wissahickon trails.

Eric Ervin -- A Philadelphia Police Officer at the 35th District and Director of Operations for the Police Athletic League, Eric has been active on the Friends' Structures Committee. He lives in East Mt. Airy and is a life-long user and advocate of the Wissahickon.

Steve Lawrence -- For many years Director of Public Relations for Cigna Corporation, now retired with his own consulting company, Steve is an experienced birdwatcher and frequent leader of bird walks sponsored by the Friends. He lives in West Mt. Airy and currently co-chairs the Friends' Wildlife Committee.

            The Nominating Committee, consisting of Todd Bernstein, Shirley Gracie, Bettina Hoerlin, and Bob Lukens, once again has found talented people who promise continued strength and leadership for the board.

New Friends' Board member, Eric Ervin, is pictured hanging a door he built for the #10-box park shelter at Lincoln and Forbidden Drives. Restoration of the shelter is spearheaded by the Structures' Committee of the Friends, which hopes to have public toilets installed and operating inside the shelter by next spring. The committee still needs donations to pay for that installation.