Inspiring Others – Mrs. Penelope Wilson

Penelope Perkins Wilson has a deep and abiding love for art, education, architecture, conservation, and historic preservation, and she has found supporting FHS to be a meaningful way to transform those loves into broad impact. The grand-niece of pioneering forestry educator Carl Alwin Schenck, Mrs. Wilson’s support was instrumental in developing and helping the FHS documentary America’s First Forest reach two million viewers on public television and the World Channel. Early in the Building on History campaign, Mrs. Wilson recognized the critical importance of a new FHS facility, and she pledged $500,000 as a challenge gift to encourage others to provide leadership support to the campaign. Twenty-one donors made gifts and pledges of $25,000 or more, helping FHS to successfully complete The Wilson Challenge by December 2016 and bring the campaign closer to its $6+ million goal.

Mrs. Wilson’s remarkable support was an early cornerstone of the Building on History campaign. In 2017, her commitment inspired the trustees of The Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation to issue their own $250,000 challenge to encourage others to support the campaign and serve as the capstone to this historic initiative.

We are grateful for Mrs. Wilson’s ongoing generosity that has proven to inspire others to support FHS’s important work preserving and helping people use the materials of forest history.