Stuart Land Acquisition

Top Cottage Trail Sign
Courtesy Gerald Berliner

At the suggestion of the National Park Service, in 2017 the Foundation agreed to raise funds in support of materials needed for the operation of a Junior Ranger program at the Hyde Park sites over four successive visitor seasons. With support from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, the program has been a great success.

Many National Park sites offer young visitors, typically between the ages of 7 and 12, the opportunity to join the NPS family as Junior Rangers. Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, interact with a park ranger, and receive an official patch and certificate. At Hyde Park, this involves a site-specific activity book that introduces in simple language the lives, achievements, and vision of the Roosevelts, as well as information motivating the youngsters to be stewards of the park environment and heritage resources in their home communities.

The Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson Valley is a public benefit corporation that was established in part to facilitate and support the creation of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail System. Twelve miles of trails serve to connect the four prominent historic sites in the Town of Hyde Park: Vanderbilt Mansion, the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Presidential Library, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill, and Top Cottage. These twelve miles of trails are part of the Hyde Park Trail system and are designated Greenway Trails. We are so thankful for their support of this project.

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CAITLYN GERMINARO is a Human Services professional whose passion is supporting and advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Caitlyn is a Senior Program Coordinator for a non-profit organization serving people with disabilities and partnering with communities across the Mid-Hudson Valley. In 2022, Caitlyn received a CP State Annual Conference Staff Recognition Award. She also received the 2023 Leadership Dutchess Community Advocate Award and is a graduate of the Leadership Dutchess program. Caitlyn holds a BS from the College of Saint Rose and an MS from Walden University. A golfer, gardener, and sunset enthusiast, she lives in Red Hook, NY, with her husband and their two dogs.

DAVID SCHWARTZ Born in 1951, David grew up in New York City. In 1972, he received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance. Following graduation, David began his career with Mikasa, a leader in the Tableware and Housewares industry – first in sales, then in management and as a company principal. Following the company’s initial public offering on the NYSE, David retired from the firm in 1996 and has since made his livelihood as a private investor. Recently, he’s become an active member of the Hudson Valley Start-up Fund, an Investment group that seeks to enable a stronger business ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the Hudson Valley region.

David lives at “Windridge”, a 130 acre former dairy farm (now mostly forested), in Hyde Park, New York. The land adjoins the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.

David serves on the Boards of several Hudson Valley non-profits, including the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, the Vassar Haiti Project, and the Mid-Hudson chapter of Mensa.

FDR Hyde Park Foundation Symbol

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