NATURAL LANDS . SPRING / SUMMER 2017 9 pay attention . be astonished . tell about it .
The words “ quiet ” and “ reserved ” were those used most often to describe Eileen McDonnell , a longtime volunteer and 25-year member of Natural Lands , who passed away last year . But if you asked her about the birds and butterflies she captured so artfully in her photographs , she effervesced .
“ Every time I think of Eileen , I am reminded of an excerpt from a Mary Oliver poem called ‘ Instructions for Living a Life ,’” said Suzanne Barton , Natural Lands ’ director of planned giving and Eileen ’ s friend : “ Pay attention . Be astonished . Tell about it .”
Eileen and her brother Bob — also a longtime Natural Lands member — were raised to work hard and save . Their father , a mechanic who built his own auto repair business , and their mother , who worked for decades as a secretary in a clothing factory , were thoughtful about putting away their earnings .
Eileen had the opportunity to attend Allegheny College and Syracuse University , where she obtained a degree in education that underpinned her career as a public school hearing and speech therapist . She never married and her teacher ’ s pension was more than enough to provide for her retirement — most of which she dedicated to being a voice for conservation , leading nature walks , and volunteering for Natural Lands .
Eileen ’ s conservation-loving friends were out in force when we convened at our Gwynedd Preserve — Eileen ’ s home away from home — on a warm summer day to share memories and dedicate a bench in her honor . Butterflies flitted across the meadows under a vast , cloud-streaked sky . It was a perfect and fitting tribute .
But it was Eileen who payed the most extraordinary compliment as she turned the lens outward one last time and left Natural Lands the majority of her savings — a bequest of close to $ 3.7 million , the single largest planned gift in our 64-year history . Her extraordinary gift will be applied to the care of our preserves , which she loved … and loved to share .
“ She might have been shy and unassuming ,” noted Molly Morrison , Natural Lands ’ president , “ But Eileen left a mighty and indelible mark on our region ’ s natural world .”
Pay attention . Be astonished . Tell about it . It will be our privilege , Eileen . W
top : Joseph V . Labolito bottom : Eileen McDonnell