A. T. Museum loses a friend ~ Walk'in Jim Stotlz
James "Walk'in Jim" Stotlz ~ June 8, 1953 - September 3, 2010
The Appalachian Trail Museum has lost a good friend with the death of Walk'in Jim Stotlz . Many of you will remember the wonderful concert he freely did as a BENEFIT CONCERT to raise funds for the Museum . That was a real money maker for the Museum, with over $2,000 raised . Moreover, the entire hiker community across the country has lost a friend, a supporter of wilderness, and a musician with music made for the natural world .
More information can be found under the GENERAL FORUM here in Whiteblaze ( as of today, 2 pages of comments ) .
A Tribute Walk'in Jim Stotlz
:sun sent to me by "Ragar", a hiker friend in Maine ~ just wanted to pass this along : (see attachment)
Recent letter excerpts ~ Museum's President
:-? EXCERPST FROM RECENT LETTER ~~ MUSEUM'S PRESIDENT
Larry Luxenberg recently wrote :
" I wanted to let everyone know about some plans for the fall and to congratulate everyone on a successful opening season. We passed the 6,000 visitor mark on Labor Day Weekend and by the time we close for the winter could exceed 7,000 visitors. More importantly, many visitors have offered praise for the Museum and found it moving.
Dozens of people have pitched in but I would be remiss in not singling out a few people. Most of those visitors came to the Museum because of Joe's [ Joseph Patterson, Communications Director ] success in spreading the word. The Museum has been open every hour it was supposed to be plus some additional time and it has run smoothly through Margy's [ Margy Schmidt, Volunteer Coordinator ] efforts. She has recruited and organized a dedicated group of volunteers. From my own experience I can tell you that it's very rewarding to be a docent but not as easy as I would have guessed. I'd also like to thank Jason for his exceptional cooperation and help. In addition, Terry [ Terry Harley-Wilson, A. T. Museum, Vice-president ] has again done a tremendous job in preparing a grant application for a traveling exhibit and as a result we were awarded a major grant from the Quimby Foundation [ makers of the Burt's Bees products like lip balm ].