Tim Lander, President of Friends of the Chester Valley Trail (left), Ed Auble, Chair of the Chester County Parks and Recreation Board (seated) and Owen Prusack, Chester County Parks and Preservation Manager, at the newly installed bench and newly planted redbud tree, placed along the Chester Valley Trail in memory of Bob O’Leary, longtime champion of Chester County Parks and Trails and founding member of The Friends of the Chester Valley Trail.
WEST CHESTER — Nestled on a fresh piece of recently cleared land and part of the Chester Valley Trail, sits a freshly planted redbud tree and memorial bench purchased by the Friends of Chester Valley Trail, honoring their late friend and dedicated member Bob O’Leary.
Bob passed away over the summer, but his legacy and commitment to Chester County will be remembered forever by those who knew him – and appreciated by the hundreds of thousands of people who use the Chester Valley Trail every year. Bob served on the Chester County Parks and Recreation Board for nearly a decade, and he was the first President of the Friends of the Chester Valley Trail organization, helping it to achieve incorporation and a 501c3 status. In addition, Bob spent decades in public service in Tredyffrin Township, serving on the township’s Planning Commission, as chair of the Paoli Inter-Modal Station Task Force, and as chair of the Patriots Path Task Force.
The tree planted in Bob O’Leary’s memory was purchased locally and is standing next to the bench on a portion of the Chester Valley Trail located in Tredyffrin Township, near North Valley Road. It’s about a mile away from Bob’s former home in Tredyffrin and also near the Tredyffrin Township building where Bob volunteered and served.
A plaque will soon be added to the area where the bench and tree are located, and an official dedication ceremony is hoped to be held in the spring of 2021.
