“I could spend an hour saying wonderful things about Ike Wolgin; he was a multi-faceted individual, involved with so many things,” Bill Creighton, the Lake George Association’s chairman, said to us at the start of the LGA’s annual gala, held at the Sagamore on July 10.
Hudson Headwaters Health Network, the Adirondack Community Foundation, the Lake George Arts Project and the Lake George Land Conservancy were among the causes and organizations Wolgin supported, in myriad ways.
“Tonight, however, we will be honoring Ike for his contributions to the protection of Lake George,” Creighton said.
And, as promised, the LGA proceeded to do just that, awarding the fourth Killeen Lake Protector Award to Ike Wolgin, posthumously.
Named in honor of the late Jeff Killeen, for many years chairman of The Fund for Lake George and the first chair of the merged Fund and Lake George Association, the award “celebrates those who carry forward Jeff’s legacy of advocacy, philanthropy, and action,” according to the LGA.
“Ike fits this profile perfectly,” Bill Creighton stated from the podium. “Ike was a longtime board member and treasurer of The Fund for Lake George and the LGA and a major donor to both organizations. He was highly committed to the protection of the lake and to the critical role the LGA plays in that protection. He was a long-term thinker, a believer in sustainability and in putting in place financial processes that would survive us all and keep the organization focused and successful over time. He was impatient and critical, always insisting that we do better. He was generous with his time and a wonderful source of advice about how to financially manage the LGA and keep the organization focused on its mission. I miss Ike and I know that many of you do as well.”
In addition to announcing that Ike Wolgin would be the recipient of this year’s Killeen Lake Protector Award, Creighton unveiled a plaque that will be hung in the LGA’s conference room and which, he said, will serve “as a constant reminder of Ike’s guidance to us.”
The plaque reads, “In memory of Ike Wolgin, whose vision of a clean, clear Lake George forever inspired the name of our ‘Forever Fund’ and continues to guide this board. His message to us: ‘Stay on mission, honor fiscal discipline, protect and grow the endowment. Build the next generation of stewards.’ His deliberate thoughtfulness remains our compass.”
The plaque was acknowledged by Ike’s longtime partner, Michelle Pollock, and his niece, Rebecca Feigen. They also accepted Ike’s posthumous Killeen Lake Protector Award on his behalf.
Said Rebecca Feigen: “Ike would’ve been genuinely moved by this recognition, although slightly embarrassed by the attention.”
She noted that it should come as no surprise that it was Ike who came up with the name “Forever Fund.”
“Ike thought in ‘forever’ terms, in terms of what holds, what endures, what you build carefully so that it keeps working after you’re gone,” she said.
Rebecca added, “To be recognized with the Killeen Lake Protector Award would’ve been especially meaningful to Ike. He held Jeff Killeen in the highest regard and would have been truly humbled to be counted in the same company.”
The message delivered by Judy Killeen when she accepted the first Killeen Lake Protector Award, presented posthumously to her late husband, remains relevant, Rebecca said.
“Judy Killeen remarked that we may be tempted to wonder, ‘Who’s the next generation of stewards?’ She reminded us that all of us are ‘next.’ Ike believed that as well. He spent his life building organizations, building people, building foundations, all strong enough to last. Ike thought not so much of his own legacy but of the legacies of the organizations and the foundations he was devoted to. It is difficult, knowing he won’t be here to see everything that is yet to come. But his vision will keep shaping this lake and this community forever.”
Ike Wolgin passed away at his home in Bolton Landing on September 23, 2025 at the age of 63.
In 1985, Ike and his family began restoring the Sagamore hotel, which remains the anchor of Bolton Landing’s economy and a vital part of its identity.
Long before he joined that endeavor or embarked upon many other notable entrepreneurial and philanthropic ventures, his family recalled, “Ike had fallen in love with Lake George.”
