Claire Smith Betz 1921-2014

I found out, today, that Claire Smith Betz (my mother's second cousin) had passed away at her summer home in Key Largo, Florida on February 6, 2014. The funeral home of Kirk and Nice in Plymouth Meeting were making arrangements for services, but apparently the immediate family would prefer their privacy. I understand.

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.

Claire likes to give husband John much of the credit for making the early decisions to preserve land in their community, but she has been steadfast in her support of area conservancies, wildlife groups, and watershed organizations.  When asked how she felt after the land was preserved for all to enjoy, Claire said she felt, “Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!”