Claire Smith was born on January 11, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Engelbert E. Smith and Clara V. Cunningham. They lived in a large home at 365 Green Lane, in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. If anyone is familiar with the house, it sets on top of the hill, on Green Lane, on the east side of the street. On the opposite side of the street, my great, grandfather Francis Rudolph Smith, ran a saloon/parlor.
Claire Smith married
John Drew Betz in 1942. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Mr. Betz began
his career as a young boy washing dishes in the laboratory founded by his
father in 1925. Having worked in almost every job in the company, he eventually
served as president, chairman and chief executive officer until being named
chairman emeritus in 1975. Under Mr. Betz's leadership, the company grew from a
small family partnership to a large and successful publicly owned corporation
with annual sales in excess of $500 million and 3,400 employees at 22 plants
throughout the world. The Trevose company deals with industrial and municipal
waste-water treatment. In 1981, Mr. Betz and five partners, including the
Phillies' then-executive vice president, Bill Giles, purchased the baseball
club for $30.18 million. Mr. Betz said at the time that he had bought the club
because his wife, Claire, loved baseball. "I guess you could say I talked
him into it," Mrs. Betz said recently. ''He wasn't sure how he felt about
it at first, but he's enjoyed it so much." It was estimated, in local
newspapers, that Claire's estate was worth over one billion dollars, but I
would rather share another story.
A lifelong lover of
the environment and wildlife, Claire was deeply concerned with the preservation
of open spaces and wildlife areas. She and her husband funded many
environmental projects and gave 180 acres of farmland adjacent to their
property in Gwynedd Township to the Natural Lands Trust for a wildlife
sanctuary, and provided funds for its perpetual maintenance. A great article
from the trust is provided, as an insight to Claire -
Faced by the pressures
of encroaching development and the escalating costs of maintaining farmland,
some people sell off their land bit by bit. Claire Betz and husband John D.
Betz did just the opposite. Over 35 years ago, the Betz family began acquiring
small and medium-sized parcels of land so that their original holdings of 67
acres grew to over 300 acres. They were concerned about preserving the special rural
character of their community.
By
making these bold land purchases and donating large parcels to area
conservancies to ensure their permanent protection, Claire and John Betz
provided a wonderful gift to their community and all of Montgomery County. Neighbor
Phoebe Driscoll notes that the land purchases made by the Betzes inspired at
least seven other neighbors to preserve their own land, creating an expansive
greenway in this verdant corner of our region.
When
Claire and John (who passed away 17 years ago) first moved from a more densely
built suburb, they fell in love with the landscape. Claire completed raising
seven children on the farm. She notes that country life was new to her at the
time, but she dug in and reached out to her community, inviting Phoebe and
others to continue using the land for riding. Many years later, in a recent
visit to Claire’s home, Phoebe brought eggs over from her chickens. Claire,
long-known by neighbors for her cooking and baking was delighted. Claire speaks
of other neighbors and the fond memories she has of their friendships. Each
July, Claire hosts an extended family reunion that features extraordinary
fireworks to the delight of her neighbors up and down Swedesford Road.
Once
the Betzes had acquired additional acreage to prevent its sale for development,
they realized it would be costly and impractical to maintain the land. It made
sense to not only preserve it, but to share it with others. In 1986, they
donated 110 acres to Natural Lands Trust. Pleased with the Trust’s initial
efforts, John and Claire made additional land donations of 66 and 35 acres and
helped with other land purchases in Lower Gwynedd Township to form Gwynedd
Wildlife Preserve. Open to the public and host to an array of habitat types
supporting a diversity of wildlife, the Preserve currently has 235 acres of
meadows, woodlands, wetlands and meandering trails. Claire says, “I get letters
from new neighbors and people I don’t know telling me how happy they are to
walk on the land.”
A
substantial gift made by Claire and John also made it possible for The
Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association to acquired Evans-Mumbower Mill and
its adjacent land in 1987. The historic, abandoned grist mill at the other end
of the neighborhood was badly in need of repair. With continuing support, the
mill was carefully restored in its special setting. Not only is the mill now
open to the public for tours, but its millstones will once again grind grain
thanks to the generosity of the Betz family.
