"I guess I'll just have to suck it up," she chuckled, trying to be a good sport. "Well, I know George would love it, and so would my daughter and son-in-law who are visiting from out of town," she explained to me.

We generally remember the simple lessons we learn as kids: don’t talk with your mouth full; put things back where you found them; say please and thank you. We often pass on those easy to remember and easy to follow rules to our children too. While they help shape us into well mannered adults, there are other important lessons in life. And as Preston Cole explained to me as we chatted one afternoon, teaching children to appreciate and understand our natural world is paramount for our collective future. After all, they will become the next generation to steward our natural resources.

So, how does one woman raise a family, turn a business into one of Wisconsin’s largest woman-owned enterprises, form a community organization dedicated to her passion, and collaborate with local leaders and dignitaries to create one of Milwaukee’s great attractions all in the same lifetime? This same woman, now settled into retirement, is still going strong and impacting our community in positive ways. I was eager to know how she does it.

We work so hard during our lifetimes to make something of ourselves and make a difference in our worlds.  But what happens when we die?  Was all that work for nothing?  Will someone pick up where we left off, continuing our hard work?  And, will we be remembered?

Living across the street from Riverside Park in the early 80’s during his years as a student at UWM, Eric Crawford had no idea he would travel to another part of the world only to return to these roots some twenty years later. 

In 2005, the Crawfords were living in the Netherlands, but had returned to Milwaukee for a visit when Eric discovered the Urban Ecology Center.

He instantly understood how its presence here would have a deep impact in his former neighborhood.