Triangle Land Conservancy: Member Spotlight


	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

Member Spotlight - September 2006

Robert & Pearl Seymour

For almost 50 years, Robert and Pearl Seymour have not only lived in the Triangle, but have helped to make it a better place. Concern over increasing sprawl and the boom of huge developments in the area led the Seymours to join TLC 8 years ago, and they are currently members of our River Society.

Rev. Seymour served for 30 years as pastor of Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, a congregation known for being inclusive and socially active. Rev. Seymour also served as the founding president of the Inter-Faith Council and founded the Chapel Hill Senior Center. In fact, the new senior center, slated to open in winter 2006-07, will be named The Robert and Pearl Seymour Senior Center to honor the couple's commitment to the growing senior population in Orange County. Rev. Seymour writes a bi-weekly column for The Chapel Hill News and is the author of two books.

A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Rev. Seymour began his higher education at the Citadel, and soon entered the Navy's pre-chaplaincy program. He attended Newberry College for two years and then spent his senior year at Duke University, where he earned his B.A. in 1945. Rev. Seymour also has a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Rev. Seymour served in several ministerial positions across the state, including a stint as minister at Mars Hill Baptist Church in Mars Hill, NC, before coming to serving at Binkley in Chapel Hill.

It was in Mars Hill, in 1956, where he met Pearl, who was serving as church organist. Pearl Seymour, who is originally from LaFollette, Tennessee, is organist emerita at Binkley and taught generations of Chapel Hill residents how to play piano. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Mills College in California. Mrs. Seymour continues to play piano and organ for churches and at events.

The Seymours have two children: a son, Robert III, who is a physician at WakeMed; and a daughter, Frances, who was recently named Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia.

We're happy to have such dedicated members of the community helping us save critical open space in the Triangle!

Member Spotlight Archives

April 2008 - Jon Stucky

March 2008 - Ken & Roz Winter

February 2008 - Pearson Stewart

January 2008 - Don Stephenson

December 2007 - Amy Mackintosh & Tom Kagan

November 2007 - Lao Rubert & Steve Schewel

October 2007 - Andrea Reusing & Mac McCaughan

September 2007 - Gail and Tommy Bridges

August 2007 - Sarah & Chris Capel

July 2007 - Karen & Ben Barker