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enhance a model
project from a preservation, education and environmental standpoint.
It just doesn’t get any better than this right here!
Though we are gathered here today to dedicate a new wind turbine, and to
celebrate its value for providing for a renewable energy source at Race
Point Light Station, I would like to take a moment to revisit how we arrived
at this point in history.
Most of you are keenly aware of the fact that Race Point Light Station holds
a very prominent place in the storied history of Cape Cod, but this
beautiful site also has great significance for the nonprofit American
Lighthouse Foundation, and in many ways, the lighthouse preservation
movement as a whole, which is presently blossoming throughout the nation.
The American Lighthouse Foundation was originally founded in 1994 as the New
England Lighthouse Foundation. Today ALF proudly serves as the steward of 21
historic lighthouses located within five states – Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
But where did it all start for ALF?
Right here at Race Point Light Station back in 1995 when the organization
was the benefactor of a license agreement from the U.S. Coast Guard, which
authorized ALF to work towards the light station’s restoration And what a
fine project it has proven to be ever since!
Our dedicated and talented Cape Cod Chapter volunteers subsequently
spearheaded the systematic restoration of Race Point on the local level from
that point on.
Three years later in 1998, thanks to an untold amount of sweat and sacrifice
– and yes, money too, volunteers, who were motivated by an uncommon sense of
pride and duty, were able to not only pull back the Race Point Light Station
back from the edge of oblivion, but also fully restore the historic site to
its former glory…and open this amazing treasure to the general public to
boot.
There is no way to truly quantify the incredible level of effort it took to
restore this historic site – and to constantly improve on its use and value
ever since. For it is important for us to remember that Race Point Light
Station’s fascinating allure is its isolated, unspoiled environment, but at
the same time, its remoteness is also the light station’s biggest challenge
to its preservation.
There was absolutely nothing that was routine or easy for the volunteers –
both logistically and operationally, when it came to restoring the Race
Point Light Station. Simply put, without the very essence of the word
‘perseverance’ being ever present within our Cape Cod Chapter’s volunteers,
Race Point Light Station would not be the shining gem that you see here
today.
This is truly an amazing story for the annals of lighthouse history that was
penned not by mere words, but by the passionate and selfless actions of
volunteers who define the definition of courage and determination.
Think about it for a second. Every volunteer associated with the restoration
of Race Point Light Station over the years wrestled with the same problems
of real life in one form or another that we all have today. No one had any
‘spare time’ to give, nor were they able to avoid the inherent stresses
associated with their work occupations, or the numerous needs of their
families or even the personal well-being of their own physical health that
hampers all of us from time to time.
Yet, the Cape Cod Chapter not only was disciplined enough to conquer the
elusive time factor, the volunteers also made a plethora of major sacrifices
in order to place Race Point Light Station on their short list of personal
priorities.
When volunteer ‘keepers’ like Jim & Sylvia Walker, Bill & Debbie Jenkins,
Scott Branco, Don & Pat Root, Bill & Mary Fiske, Ed O’Connell, Russell Loud,
Bill Collette, Dave Spang, Michelle Dirksen and so many others too numerous
to mention, assume “ownership” in lighthouse preservation like we see here
at Race Point Light Station, the sparkling results speak for themselves.
Though this incredible success story no doubt has reverberated throughout
the Cape and within the American Lighthouse Foundation as an organization,
its impact is also felt nationwide as fellow lighthouse preservationists
throughout the country continue to be inspired by the Cape Cod Chapter’s
pursuit of excellence.
I like to say that lighthouse preservation is nothing more than passionate
volunteers who recognize the need and importance of our
maritime heritage,
subsequently make it a priority in their lives, and then allow no
excuse to prevent them from achieving goals that make a real and lasting
difference with lighthouses in their community. The Cape Cod Chapter of the
American Lighthouse Foundation is the epitome of this notion – and we are
all richer for such dedication.
In coming full circle, the real truth is that working to save a light
station like Race Point is not a moment in time, but a journey through time.
A journey that occurs mostly out of the public eye – a time when the lights,
cameras and attention miss recording the real context of lighthouse
preservation that includes all the essential elements of commitment,
endurance and sacrifice that are buoyed by a no-quit attitude, even when
moments of inevitable frustration prove difficult to cope with.
All of this brings us to the point of why we are celebrating this wonderful
occasion together here today. The Cape Cod Chapter of the American
Lighthouse Foundation did not simply restore Race Point Light Station back
in 1998 and walk away, which they could have easily done and still been
deserving of our most sincere gratification.
Rather, like the time-honored lightkeepers before them who staffed the
lights year after year without fail, the Cape Cod Chapter volunteers have
maintained a vigilant watch over Race Point Light Station without ever once
failing to ‘send out a light’ for historic lighthouse preservation over the
last decade.
I will close by quoting Benjamin Franklin when it comes to summing up the
dedicated work of the Cape Cod Chapter… (quote) ‘Well done is better than
well said.’ (end quote).
Thank you.”
Bob Trapani, Jr., Executive Director
American Lighthouse Foundation
April 28, 2007
Posted: 12/31/2008 |
