Library Record
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Metadata
Title |
Richard Lawrence records of the Adirondack Park Agency, 1971-1975 |
Author |
Lawrence, Richard Wesley, 1909- |
Year Range from |
1968 |
Year Range to |
1975 |
Object Name |
Manuscript |
Control Number |
1976.219 |
Call Number |
MS 76-010 |
Physical Description |
10.64 linear ft. (30 boxes) ; includes audio recordings on 88 cassettes |
Summary |
Repository: Adirondack Experience Library Creator: Richard Wesley Lawrence, Jr. Title: Richard Lawrence records of the Adirondack Park Agency, 1968-1975 Collection Number: MS 76-10 Extent: 10.64 linear ft. (30 boxes) Donated by: St. Lawrence University (transfer), Spring 2006 Inclusive Dates: 1968-1975 Bulk Dates: 1971-1975 Access: Access to this collection is unrestricted. Abstract: This collection is comprised of materials created and compiled by Richard Lawrence, the founding chairman of the Adirondack Park Agency, who dedicated much of his life to working to promote environmental conservation and improvements in the quality of life for people in the Adirondack Park. The collection pertains to Lawrence's activities regarding conservation and development in the Adirondack Park through his work the Adirondack Park Agency. Catalog Terms: Person(s): Lawrence, Richard Wesley, 1909- Corporate Names: Adirondack Park Agency (N.Y.) Subjects: Land use--Laws and legislation--New York (State)--Adirondack Mountains Nature conservation--New York (State)--Adirondack Mountains Region Document Types: Business records Correspondence Scope and Content Note: The Richard Lawrence Adirondack Park Agency papers are comprised of materials created or compiled by Richard Lawrence. The bulk of the collection pertains to Lawrence's activities regarding conservation and development in the Adirondack Park through his work with the Adirondack Park Agency. This collection does not include significant materials regarding Lawrence's law or business practice, much of his work regarding education and libraries, or a great deal of Lawrence's personal correspondence. Biographical Note: "A false issue has grown up - an issue that looks upon people and the environment as adversaries. The implication is that if environment takes priority, people will somehow be deprived. That's nonsense. It's possible to have both." - Richard Lawrence, quoted in The Ancient Adirondacks by Lincoln Barnett (1974). Richard Lawrence, a resident of the Adirondack Park for over 50 years, dedicated much of his life to working to promote environmental conservation and improvements in the quality of life for people in the Adirondack Park. Richard Wesley Lawrence, Jr. was born January 16, 1909, in Bronx, New York. He attended Riverdale School, Princeton University, and Columbia Law School. He married Marjorie Fitch in 1933, who preceded him in death in 1945. Before moving to the Adirondacks, Lawrence served in Army Air Corps from 1942-1945, practiced law in New York City, and was chairman of Printers Ink Publishing and Bankers Commercial Corporation. In 1946, Lawrence married Elizabeth Hand Wadhams (1909-1987), and in 1947 the couple moved to Elizabethtown. Lawrence died on February 6, 2002, at Elizabethtown Community Hospital. Lawrence quickly became involved in conservation issues in the Adirondacks after moving to Elizabethtown in 1947, through Conservation Management, Inc., of which he was President, and through membership in the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. When New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller created the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks in September 1968, Lawrence was appointed to serve on the commission. The Commission was charged with reviewing problems in the area and presenting options for preserving the character of the Adirondack Park. Frank Graham, in his book The Adirondack Park: A Political History, credits Lawrence with the idea that "the state should create an independent park commission to deal with the area's private lands" (p. 240). Lawrence's concept came to fruition as the core recommendation of the Commission - to create the Adirondack Park Agency. Lawrence is perhaps best known for his work from 1971-1975 as the first head of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). G. Gordon Davis, who served as General Counsel to the Adirondack Park Agency during the 1970s, characterizes the priorities of the APA during Lawrence's tenure of leadership as permitting, park planning, and local planning. As the face of the APA, Lawrence interpreted the Adirondack Park Private Land Use and Development Plan at public meetings. Opposition to the plan was widespread among full-time residents of the Adirondack Park, and the hearings were sometimes heated. Peter Van de Water, President of Citizens to Save the Adirondack Park and Vice President of Saint Lawrence University, credited the "tact and patience" of Lawrence in keeping "the often stormy sessions orderly." The Adirondack Highway Council was created by the New York State Department of Transportation as an advisory body in 1974. Lawrence first took a role in the Adirondack Highway Council as a representative of the Adirondack Park Agency, and continued as a member of the Council until the mid-1980s. As a long-time advocate for conservation in the Adirondacks, Lawrence was appointed by New York Governor Mario Cuomo to the Commission on the Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century. In addition to Lawrence's work for the protection of the Adirondacks documented in this collection, he also worked with a number of other organizations concerned with conservation and environmental issues in the Adirondacks, including the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, New York Parks and Conservation Association, Adirondack Council, and the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. Lawrence was also involved with educational and quality of life issues in the Adirondack Park. He founded the Essex County Historical Association, helped to create the Hand-Hale Historic District, and served on the boards of the Elizabethtown Public Library, the Elizabethtown-Lewis School Board, the Elizabethtown Social Center, North Country Community College, New York State Historical Association, and the College Council of SUNY Plattsburgh. Lawrence also helped to incorporate the Bruce L. Crary Foundation, and served as the Foundation's Chairman and President from 1973 to 2000. He was also the founding Vice President of Adirondack Life magazine. Over his lifetime, Lawrence was also granted a number of awards for his service to the Adirondack Park and its people, including the Velma Moore Award from the New York State Library Association, a North Country citation from the Garden Club of America, a Distinguished Service Award from Potsdam College, a Founder's Award from the Adirondack Experience, and an award from the New York-Vermont Interstate Commission on Lake Champlain. Related and Separated Materials: See the Richard Lawrence Papers, 1955-2002 (MS 09-01) for Lawrence's personal papers and history with the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Highway Council. Container List: An inventory is available at the repository. |
Subjects |
Lawrence, Richard Wesley, 1909- Adirondack Park Agency (N.Y.) Land use--Laws and legislation--New York (State)--Adirondack Mountains Nature conservation--New York (State)--Adirondack Mountains Region Correspondence |
Imagefile |
102\7588.JPG |
Notes |
Digital mp3 copies of the recordings made at public hearings can be found on the Internet Archive at this link. |
Collection |
Adirondack Experience Library |