What has Lake George given the Lawrence family? Ties that bind the generations. Lasting friendships. A lifetime of memories.
Hard as it may be to quantify the value of those gifts, the family has taken a stab at it.
The children of the late George and Teresa Lawrence – George Lawrence III, Linda Pallis, Loretta Lawrence Keane – have taken the lead in the campaign to replace the gazebo at the Schuman Preserve at Pilot Knob.
“Whenever we’re here as a family, that’s where we go,” said Loretta. “A few years ago, we began talking to the Lake George Land Conservancy about the long-term health of that location and what the gazebo could be in its next life.”
According to the LGLC’s executive director, Mike Horn, that “next life” entails razing the existing gazebo, which is now more than three decades old, and replacing it with one equally unobtrusive but one designed with greater intentionality, one that will fulfill the many functions it has come to serve and better suited to its unique location.
It will be constructed from natural but durable materials, said Horn.
“Since 2000, when the Lake George Land Conservancy acquired the Pilot Knob Ridge property, we’ve made a ton of repairs on that structure – replacing boards, reroofing, rebuilding the bench, in general, shoring things up. We’re at the point where it can’t be repaired any further,” said Horn.
When the gazebo is rededicated next spring, it will have a name: the Teresa M. and George E. Lawrence Memorial Gazebo.
“The Pilot Knob Ridge gazebo is such a popular destination. When you come to Lake George, that’s where you go,” said Mike Horn.
For the Lawrences, few things represent Lake George better than the Pilot Knob Ridge gazebo: a hike to beautiful views, a place to connect with others, a setting for significant moments in life – wedding proposals, engagements, memorials. Their consequential donation in honor of their parents will benefit thousands of others – as their parents no doubt would have wished.
“None of us own property on the lake, but we’re deeply invested in its health, perhaps as much as residents are,” said Loretta. “This gift is about far more than an homage to the parents who brought us here.”
Teresa and George Lawrence began visiting Lake George before they were married, as students at James Madison High in Brooklyn (alma mater of Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer and Carole King, among others), chaperoned by Teresa’s younger brother.
“Our parents went on to travel the world, but they always came back to Lake George. I don’t think the family has missed a year in over six decades,” said Loretta.
According to George, the family stayed in a succession of resorts, usually through the same few weeks every summer, surrounded by the same group of families who arrived and departed simultaneously every year.
Those same families are among the Lawrences closest friends, said Loretta.
Their shared activities became shared traditions, traditions that have been maintained by – and supplemented – the next generation, said Linda.
In 2009, the Lawrence children dedicated the gazebo in memory of their father.
“Our father was a Brooklyn civic leader, and when he passed away, there were many opportunities in Brooklyn to honor him. But the gazebo – because he loved Lake George, and because he was a passionate, amateur woodworker – was the perfect fit,” said Loretta.
After the death of Teresa Lawrence, the family decided to honor them both with the construction of a new gazebo.
The Lake George Land Conservancy is in the process of raising at least $40,000 to complete the project.
Other donors and partners have included the Makowski Trust, Local, Adirondack Pub and Brewery and Boats by George. To make a donation to the rebuilding of the gazebo, visit lglc.org.
