|
On their wedding anniversary several years ago, the couple packed a picnic lunch, and toting their one-year-old
grandson in a backpack, spent a memorable day exploring the preserve. That hike initiated an anniversary ritual
for the couple. “It’s a nice tradition,” says Patti. “We hike the trails and have a picnic lunch at David Howells’
memorial. Our anniversary is on November 13, so the leaves are always beautiful. We just decided that on our
anniversary we did not want to go to an expensive restaurant. We’d rather be outside experiencing the beauty of
nature.”
From Wayne County, NC, and Frederick, Md., respectively, Stan and Patti met in Washington, D.C. in the early 70s.
He had just returned from the Vietnam War and Patti, a recent business school graduate, was working for a
Chicago-based architectural firm. The couple eventually moved to Chatham County and 20 years ago, opened Additions
Plus, a Chapel Hill-based construction firm. They still own and operate the business together, with Stan working as
the contractor while Patti manages the business.
In their limited free time, the Stutts enjoy canoeing, hiking, gardening and playing old time music (Patti plays
banjo). “We try to live responsibly,” says Stan. “We heat our house with a woodstove and we produce and preserve a
lot of food from our organic garden.”
As eyewitnesses to the dramatic changes taking place in Chatham County, Patti and Stan are committed supporters of
several environmental groups, including TLC, which they joined in 2005. “I’ve been disheartened by the development
in the Triangle, but you have to keep doing what you can to save natural areas,” says Stan.
Spurred by their desire to contribute to the protection of places like White Pines, and on the heels of a successful
business year, the couple decided they had the capacity to make a generous gift to TLC. Stan called TLC and spoke with
Tracy Joseph, TLC’s development director, who told him about the Our Water, Our Land campaign. Patti and Stan made a
generous gift to the campaign at the end of 2007.
The Stutts are excited to think that their gift is not only a contribution to TLC, but an investment in the wellbeing
of future generations. “It’s nice to know that there are places out there like White Pines that we can always enjoy,”
says Patti. “If we don’t put land in trust now, we won’t have that opportunity in the future. We want the land to be
there for our grandchildren to enjoy.”
Back
|
|
