It feels somewhat strange to write a “Gala Retrospective” post this year. Last year’s event was a relatively straightforward affair: we highlighted the continued work on our middle school programs, then showcased “Life in the Pine Barrens.” It was a pleasant love letter to an ecosystem we hold dear.
This year’s gala is also a love letter, but of a very different sort. On March 23rd, we lost Richard “Dick” Amper, the executive director who led the Long Island Pine Barrens Society to greatness, resulting in the passage of the Pine Barrens Protection Act. Dick’s impact on Long Island cannot be overstated. It isn’t hyperbole to say that without him, the Pine Barrens would have been bulldozed decades ago. We owe no small part of our Island’s natural beauty, the quality of our drinking water, and even the very character of our region, to Dick Amper.
So, when it came time to get working on the gala, the theme was obvious. But with that theme came some serious challenges. First: how do you summarize a man’s life in one sentence? Each gala has a title which gives a picture of the event. “Moving with the Times,” “Splash: Clean Water Now,” “Preserving the People’s Park.” It’s not easy to come up with these, even when the themes are simpler. We knew, of course, that we wanted to make it clear from the get-go that this year’s gala was a tribute to Dick Amper’s life, but it also needed to be about Dick’s legacy. Former LIPBS Board President Alan Singer was the one to come up with “A Life Well-Lived, A Legacy Unmatched,” and having typed that phrase dozens of times in the last several months, I feel confident in saying that it’s perfect. “A Life Well-Lived,” because we can best account for the quality of a person’s life when it’s reached its end, and it’s clear looking back that Dick Amper lived his life to the fullest. “A Legacy Unmatched,” because the impact of a well-lived life cascades down throughout the years, improving the lives of people not yet born, who might never even know that they were touched by those who came before. Since Dick Amper saved Long Island’s trees, habitat and drinking water which will be evident for centuries to come, this is true both in a metaphorical and in a very literal sense.
The next big challenge was producng the video itself. In recent years, the gala videos consisted of extensive footage captured over just a few days. Tours of various Pine Barrens ecosystems, with extensive commentary by Society Board Members John Turner and Suzanne Ruggles, were relatively easy to film. But to properly pay tribute to Dick Amper, we needed to have a broader scope. Gathering together the people who knew him, worked with him, and loved him, from across his long career as the Society’s Executive Director, took a lot of time and careful planning. We’re so grateful to everyone who participated in the video and paid tribute to Dick. The finished product perfectly shows the scope of his achievements, in the arenas of politics, the media, the broader environmental field, and as a friend and mentor.
Even with a half-hour of tributes, coupled with historical footage dating back more than thirty years, this year’s gala only provided a sampling of Dick Amper’s life. It’s impossible to summarize a long, well-lived life in such a short span. But the sampling provided gives a deeper look at the man’s character, his work, and his legacy, in a way that will stand the test of time. Once again, we’re so grateful to everyone who participated in the video, everyone on our Gala Committee, and our Gala Sponsors. This certainly won’t be the last time we’ll honor Dick Amper, but we hope that it’s satisfactory for now.
By Travis Cutter, Long Island Pine Barrens Society
