William R. Brainerd 1938 - 2022
by Pat Beaudet, Southeastern Pennsylvania Group
Prologue
For many years, a gentleman riding a bicycle and wearing a hardhat was a fixture on the roadways near Hildacy (Preserve in Delaware County) and in the surrounding - and sometimes not-so-surrounding - area. His path included winding and potentially treacherous Palmers Mill Road. Most often, a milk crate or other repurposed basket had been affixed to the bike and was packed with recyclable or reusable items that the rider had collected on his journey.
I’m talking about Bill Brainerd, a one-time neighbor of Hildacy, a long-time supporter of Natural Lands, and one of the most dedicated environmentalists I’ve ever known. Bill lived his commitment to our planet through his involvement with numerous organizations but no more so than through his constant quest to reduce waste and his commitment to riding a bike, even when it wasn’t the safest choice.
Bill’s dedication to living a sustainable life likely led people to make flawed assumptions about who he was. To be fair, his appearance sometimes belied the accomplished intellectual that he was. He received an advanced degree in English from University of Chicago and taught at the university level....Bill passed away earlier this year and, thanks to his friend and Natural Lands President’s Council member Tim Barnard, Bill’s bike and one of his many used hardhats have taken up residence here at Hildacy for a time....I take the bike as a point of inspiration and a potent reminder that the work we do is often accomplished acre by acre, tree by tree - or in Bill’s case, recycled can by recycled can - but the impact can be immense.
- Oliver Bass, Natural Lands
The Sierra Club joins family and friends in honoring the life of William R. Brainerd, who passed away in May of this year at the age of 84. Bill served on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Group (SPG) Executive Committee for about 15 years before resigning a few years ago. Bill also served as Secretary for the Pennsylvania Chapter meetings for a time. Born in 1938, Bill was one of four children of Helen and Forrest Brainerd of Delaware County. He attended Lehigh University and the University of Chicago, majoring in physics and English. He moved from Chicago to California and ultimately Hawaii where he taught at the Community College of Hawaii for 19 years. He came back east in 1986 to take care of his mother. He believed his finest achievement in life was the care he provided to his mother for eight years until she died of Alzheimer’s Disease in 1996. (Bill wrote a book about his experience entitled, Mother's Years with Alzheimer's Disease which he self-published on Amazon. To obtain a copy, click here.)
In his work for the Sierra Club, Bill was a persistent force within and without the Southeastern Pennsylvania Group, serving as mentor, political chair, education program chair, fundraiser and outings leader. Richard Whiteford, founder of the Chester County subgroup, remembers Bill with these words: “Bill was one of the most reliable and dedicated Sierra Club members in SPG. He really walked-the-talk, or should I say, biked the talk. He rode his bike for tens of miles to attend meetings through thunderstorms and all kinds of nasty weather. He will be sorely missed by lots of people, including me.” Richard remembers one evening in particular when a few Chester County volunteers attended a meeting of the Willistown Township supervisors. Having driven his bike a long distance from Media in heavy rain and lightning, Bill arrived late drenched to the bone and muddy. It was a sight not soon forgotten by those who were there. But this was Bill. In addition to club meetings, Bill regularly rode long distances to attend township meetings in Delaware and Chester counties to speak for the environment.
Karen Melton describes Bill in his role as political chair: "I had the opportunity to work with Bill for several years interviewing local government candidates for office. He had an almost encyclopedic recollection of politics in the five Southeastern Pennsylvania counties -- what the issues were and who had been in office many years back. I saw looks of surprise and appreciation on the faces of many candidates as it became clear how knowledgeable he was." Jim Wylie, former SPG chair, notes that Bill was so knowledgeable, politicians would contact him to find out what Sierra Club's positions were on issues. In addition, he mentored other volunteers just starting to get into the Club's political endorsement process.
As education program chair, Bill organized bimonthly public lectures on timely topics which were held at the Free Library of Philadelphia or Community College of Philadelphia. While it's hard to pick out any one program, the one that stands out the most for me was the time in November 2015 when he brought Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University, to speak at the Community College of Philadelphia. This event drew a wide audience of Sierra Club members, local environmentalists, and students who wanted to meet the man who had become famous for his “Hockey Stick” graph that demonstrates the rapid rise in temperatures, culminating in our climate crisis.
Bill's lectures were well-attended due in no small part to his own efforts to drive participation. He kept lists of hundreds of people who had attended, sent out postcard reminders of the next lecture, and followed up with phone calls, encouraging people to attend. This outreach strategy demonstrates how hard-working and committed Bill was to everything he did. Bill applied the same methods to his fundraising efforts on behalf of the group. A solicitation letter was always followed up with a phone call. He was the best fundraiser the group ever had.
Bill was well-known and well-regarded by many for the ways in which he "walked the talk" in the conservation of natural resources. Another example of Bill's commitment to his values, which I learned from volunteer John Butler, was how Bill handled the sale of his property prior to entering the Wesley Enhanced Living retirement facility. Bill knew that a developer had plans to develop the area, so to avoid that, he sold his property to a neighbor below market value rather than risk it getting into the wrong hands.
Bill enjoyed leading outings in Delaware County. He had strong ties to the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, Pennsylvania, where he sang in the choir. Bill listened extensively to classical music and often attended the Philadelphia Orchestra.
A Memorial Service will be held by his family sometime after mid-September. Updated information will be posted at sc.org/pa-spg. Or send your name and email address to Pat Beaudet, pbeaudet30@gmail.com, to be notified directly as details become available. R.I.P. Bill.
This blog was included as part of the September 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!