Mary T. Bruckmann
By Kathleen Cunningham
Polly Bruckmann served the Village of East Hampton and the community at large in her many volunteer capacities the entirety of her life, several decades of work. Her tireless efforts to preserve East Hampton’s history, its way of life and natural environment were second to none. We lost her this summer at 90 years of age. One of our most treasured Trustees, she served as the Vice-President of the VPSEH for over a decade, and contributed her time and resources to achieving the organization’s goals. She not only provided wise counsel, but rolled up her sleeves and did the work. Her valued perspective and deep understanding of how so many of the challenges of preservation were interrelated was a unique talent. Our deep condolences go out to Polly’s family. She will be sorely missed.
Douglas D. Mercer
By Kathleen Cunningham
The Society and the community at large lost a true champion with the sudden passing of Douglas D. Mercer, beloved husband of dedicated VPSEH Trustee Patricia Mayer Mercer in September. Doug created the Wellness Foundation in 2005, to address poor nutrition habits and food offerings in public schools and the organization helped to transform the diets and cooking habits of thousands of East Enders. Doug was a true visionary, able to integrate a variety of approaches to address issues of importance to the individual, the family and the community. All gifts to the community simply because he felt it was the right thing to do. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his loving wife, Pat.