Peter Geldof, Jr.: First Director of Delaware's Park System

Peter Geldof, Jr.: First Director of Delaware's Park System. Pioneer of Preservation. , Lums Pond State Park , The pond has existed since 1735 when St. Georges Creek was dammed to power a sawmill. when the Lum family acquired the mill after 1809, they lent their name to the pond. Some twenty years later, Lums Pond provided water to the highest lock of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. It was enlarged in the 1960s to its present 200-acre size., A Newcomer , Lums Pond was not yet a state park when Peter (Pete) Geldof arrived in Delaware in 1954. He was hired by the State Park Commission to be superintendent of the recently acquired Brandywine Springs State Park (now owned and managed by New Castle County). Pete's education and experience in horticulture and landscape design proved a benefit not only to Brandywine Springs, but also all future state parks. Soon after his arrival, improvements were made to Trap Pond and Fort Delaware State Parks. Under his leadership, Lums Pond became the first state park in Delaware to be developed as a recreational facility., The First Director , In 1964, Pete was appointed director by the Delaware State Park Commission, and served for six years. For five more years after that he directed the parks under what is now the Division of Parks and Recreation. His attention turned to acquiring new land for the park system and to preserve existing parks from rapidly expanding private development. Over the years, Pete used a variety of methods to support the maintenance, operations and program services of the growing park system. In 1971, the Division introduced a park entrance fee and developed other revenue services under Pete's guidance. They now support over 60% of the state parks' operating budget. His greatest accomplishment is perhaps, his contributions to the creation of the three beach parks: Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island., Pete Geldof retired from Delaware State Parks in October 1986. In 32 years of service, he was instrumental in protecting more than 11,000 acres of Delaware's irreplaceable natural resources, benefiting not just citizens of the state, but visitors from around the world., [Captions:] , A state park since 1963, Lums Pond underwent major renovations and improvements in the 1970s, following a master plan created under Pete Geldof's guidance. This was the first state park to have a master plan., In 1984, Pete received the highest honor that a governor can bestow on an employee of the state, the Governor's Diamond State Award. He was selected for the award because of his dedication to establishing outstanding parks and facilities. His mother pinned on the award., Pete once expressed his feelings about preservation in a speech by saying, "An automobile or a new suit you can always purchase; but not so with natural resources. Once they get lost, they are gone forever."