Jane Stotts Time Line
Rowe Woods and the Cincinnati Nature Center will stand
as a memorial to Stan Rowe and Carl Krippendorf. Stan was on the board of the National Audubon Society when it was left a
large estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, together with a substantial
amount of money "to educate people in the ways that nature works
and how they should be safeguarded." This resulted in the formation
of Audubon's first Nature Center. Cincinnati Nature Center at Rowe
Woods, Milford Ohio.
Stan's mind was prepared, therefore, when in 1965, as he
told the story later, "Karl Maslowski (noted nature photographer
and writer) came to me and said, 'You know that Carl and Mary
Krippendorf died a few weeks ago and it would be a shame to have that
wonderful piece of property split up into residential lots.' 1 said it
would be an excellent location for one of the new Nature Centers. We
went at once to see the Krippendorf daughter, Rosan Adams and she was
delighted with the idea. She said, 'I wish 1 could give it to you but 1
can't. 1 will sell it for the amount that was used in my parents'
estates.' " Rosan and her sister gave up a lot to leave home
Stan Rowe dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the
project: developed plans with the help of the National Audubon Society,
raised practically all the funds needed for the purchase, planning and
development of the property (raised $2 million of endowment funds after
he had passed age 80), organized a board and made the dream a reality.
"When he had the idea someone ought to give, he never let up on it,"