Pawling Library Centennial January Honorees

Pawling Library Centennial January Honorees

By Susan Stone, Trustee

Every not-for-profit needs an angel or two . . . or three!

Angels are those who donate their highly prized and appreciated expertise to organizations so that those organizations may continue to thrive and serve the communities that depend on them. Some Angels provide financing, like those that support the arts. Our Angels have made enormous contributions to our Library as experts in law, engineering, project planning and project management. They have been generous with their time, goodwill, knowledge, and support. They have been our personal cheering section, encouraging the Library’s growth and expansion, and have been happy to help our Board of Directors plan for the future. Our Angels are our Centennial January Honorees: Dave Daniels, Ed Hauser, and Bill Rohde.

Ed Hauser is a 50-year member of the Pawling Fire Department, where he served as deputy chief and treasurer. He was a Town Board Member and Supervisor of the Town of Pawling. He is currently a Dutchess County legislator representing Pawling and parts of Beekman and East Fishkill.

Ed came to Pawling in 1968 to work at Trinity-Pawling School, and in 1983 he became Director of Physical Plant with responsibility for all daily operations, campus planning, capital construction and renovation, fire safety, and campus security. He has used his many talents to assist the Library with construction and maintenance projects. He has been available for questions large and small, and has met with Board members frequently to illuminate construction processes and practices. His knowledge and patience have always moved the Library in a positive direction.

Bill Rohde’s engineering career has spanned the last 57 years. In 1988, Rohde Soyka & Andrews, Consulting Engineers in the City of Poughkeepsie, was founded. Since 1990, Bill and Ed Hauser have worked together as part of a team on many projects at Trinity-Pawling School. They have also worked together on projects at the Pawling firehouse, and have teamed up to provide professional engineering and design services to the Library.

Bill has also donated his engineering prowess at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, the Anderson Center for Autism, the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Cunneen Hackett Arts Center, and Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County. Whenever engineering plans and drawings are needed, Bill has been happy to provide them, allowing projects to move forward, while saving the Library time and dollars. He has been exceptionally generous with his skills over the years and through several Library projects.

Dave Daniels has contributed his legal acumen to the Pawling Library for many years. With expertise in health and business/corporate law, he has provided expert advice and legal counsel, free of charge, in areas of personnel, contracts, and best business practice. Along with his charitable activities for the library, Dave’s additional pro bono work includes his service as town justice to the Town of Pawling since 2005.

Dave is the founding and managing partner of Daniels, Porco and Lusardi, LLP. His knowledge of law is vast and remarkable. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1982 and to the Connecticut State Bar in 1983, following completion of his law degree from Boston College Law School. He has been recognized nationally for his work in healthcare law.

The Pawling Free Library is pleased and proud to count these three highly regarded professionals among those who have made the Library’s success over the past one-hundred years possible. Their support and encouragement have been gifts beyond measure. By volunteering their expertise, they have not only contributed to our endurance, but they have made it possible for us to soar. We are profoundly grateful.

Author: Harlem Valley News