Dear Princeton Magazine Readers,

Though this is our Summer issue, I am still feeling like “spring has sprung” because it has been such a beautiful spring with clear days and chilly, rainy nights. This has given us one of the greenest springs ever! In fact, I can’t get over how rich all the green has been this year.

Last week I happened to make a turn west off Princeton-Hightstown Road and ended up in a residential neighborhood that is a spectacular environment. The roads are all “boulevards” with dense landscaping on each side and a central green space that separates the traffic going each way, and within these central greenways are beautiful arrangements of trees that now have 10-inch trunks. I found it hard to believe that such a wonderful environment exists. I then realized that what I was looking at was the result of careful guidance by the West Windsor Planning Board and its staff from 20 years ago. more

Shirley Satterfield stands next to the apple tree planted by her mother.

Envisioning a Future that Includes Stories of Princeton’s Past

By Ilene Dube | Portraits by Andrew Wilkinson

Shirley Satterfield has a dream: to establish a museum of African American history in Princeton.

If ever there was a person suited to the mission, it is Satterfield. She has been saving historic artifacts such as bricks, signs, stained glass, a barbershop bench, and doors from a house where Paul Robeson once lived. She salvaged pews from the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church — Robeson is reputed to have sat in them — and the Smithsonian Institution acquired one.  more

In a Contemporary Addition to a Gothic Revival Building, Compatibility is the Key

By Anne Levin | Photography by Aislinn Weidele

Contemplating retirement, Georgia Nugent and Tom Scherer decided that Princeton would be the ideal spot for their home base. Princeton University graduates with distinguished careers in academia (Nugent) and international finance law (Scherer), the couple looked forward to putting down roots in — or around — the town they knew and loved.

The hunt began in 2013. After seeing “every house in Princeton,” says Nugent, they settled on a stone Gothic Revival dwelling with 100 leaded windows, just behind the Hun School, that had served as a designer showhouse the year before. It had a distinctive pedigree — architect Alfred Hopkins had designed it for himself in 1932. But the house had been on the market for more than five years. It needed work.  more

By Mary Abitanto | Photos by the author

Trenton State College (Now TCNJ) All-American hockey players, left, and the Trenton State College graduating Class of 1950.

Certain foods evoke a happy childhood memory. For me, it’s peach pie. It triggers blissful and comforting feelings and conjures up a strong connection to the past. When I was growing up, my mom hosted gatherings with her Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey — TCNJ) friends — “the gang,” as she referred to them. In the summer, when we hosted at our summer home, one of her friends would make homemade peach pie. I always excitedly anticipated her arriving with the pie, which she made on a baking sheet so it could feed a large crowd.

These strong, well-read women, mostly teachers, were also All-American college athletes on the field hockey team and part of the Theta Phi sorority while at Trenton State College. They became teachers and administrators, raised their children, and then became empty nesters. Over the years, they gathered for afternoon tea, lunches, dinners, bridal and baby showers, weddings, and eventually traveled the world together. I have fond memories of them and the peach pie! more

New Jersey Butterfly Club field trip to Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. (Photo courtesy of NJBC)

Butterflies in Decline

By Sarah Teo

Sharon Wander

The Silver-Bordered Fritillary butterfly found itself reclassified this year on the New Jersey endangered species list, moved from “threatened” to “endangered” — but according to Sharon Wander, “It’s already gone. Those lists lag far behind reality, unfortunately.” Wander, an environmental consultant and past president of the New Jersey Butterfly Club (NJBC), says warming temperatures statewide are to blame, since the small orange-and-black insect prefers cooler climates. “Over time, it’s been found in higher and higher elevations … and in New Jersey, you quickly run out of elevation.” She warns that other species will likely disappear statewide in the coming years, including Leonard’s Skipper, Indian Skipper, and Common Roadside Skipper.

The trend continues nationwide, across all butterfly species: the U.S. has seen a 22 percent drop in populations over a 20-year time period (2000-2020), as published this past March in the journal Science. The same is true globally, according to the study’s writers, “especially in Europe.” “Acting threats” include the usual suspects impacting biodiversity: climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use. more

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

― Wendell Berry, writer, environmental activist, and farmer.

Some years ago, Hopewell Township farmer and Princeton University faculty member Tessa Lowinske Desmond set out to write a book about seeds. While conducting research, she realized that although books can be useful, what the world really needs are more regionally adapted, resilient seeds. That realization led to a commitment to preserving culturally meaningful seeds with community partners, seeds that often go back generations and centuries. more