Central Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, February 22, 2006

The Gift Of A Lifetime

photo courtesy of Central Park Conservancy

For nearly 40 years, Janet Kramer and her husband, Leonard, lived across from Central Park; for more than 20 of those years, the couple generously supported the Central Park Conservancy. In an effort to raise money and awareness for the care of Central Park, the Conservancy began one of its earliest mailings to park neighbors, asking them to become members for just $35. Janet and Leonard signed up immediately.

Regarding Central Park as their own personal backyard, the Kramers were pleased to learn about the Conservancy’s mission of restoring Central Park to its original glory. The park was an important part of the Kramers’ lives together—they took frequent walks there, admiring the landscapes, and especially enjoyed looking for new species of birds. Having no children of their own, they adopted the park instead—making plans to nurture it and dedicating themselves to securing its future through ongoing support.

Through the years, the Kramers became more involved in the Conservancy by joining the Conservator program. They spoke passionately about the newly restored beauty of Central Park to their friends, acting as ambassadors for the park and urging others to become involved. When Leonard died a few years ago, Janet took advantage of another Conservancy program and honored him by adopting a bench and endowing a tree in his memory. The bench plaque reads: Leonard dear, meet me here. I love you, Janet.

Janet passed away last year, but made one final gift to the Conservancy by designating a generous portion of her estate to the further restoration of Central Park. Her bequest of $2.9 million will go toward the restoration of the Historic Playground Landscape, a 30-acre area in the southwest section of the park that the Kramers’ apartment overlooked.

The Conservancy is honored to be the recipient of this generous gift, which will carry on the love story of Leonard and Janet and the park that was their backyard.

"We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here
for I don’t know."

W.H. Auden
(1907-1973)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center