Pete joined the board of The Stone Trust (TST) in 2017. He took on the role of board president in 2018 and has guided the growth and development of TST for the last three years. Pete is certified by the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA-GB) as a Level 2 waller. Currently he owns and operates Touched By Stone, dry-stone landscaping business in New Boston, NH.
Pete grew up in central New Hampshire and earned an engineering degree from the state university. Shortly after graduation, he began his career as a software engineer with a large aerospace contractor in New Hampshire. Thirty-two years later, after developing and training staff for numerous company expansion projects, Pete took early retirement. As Pete states it,”I did not have a retirement plan, but I knew I was done working in the industry.” After two years of concerted focus on his neglected golf game, Pete helped his wife celebrate her retirement by enrolling them both in a weekend of dry stone workshops at The Stone Trust Center at the Scott Farm in Dummerston, VT.
After that first weekend in 2015, Pete took every workshop he could and achieved his Level 1 certification in early 2016. Later in 2016 he attempted and failed his Level 2 certification. With true Pete candor he says, “I deserved to fail; I was not ready.” By the spring of 2017 Pete was ready. And shortly after he achieved Level 2 certification, he founded his new business, Touched By Stone. The golf clubs now spend most of their time on a hook in the garage.
In 2018, at a time of growth and expansion for TST, Pete accepted the challenge of leading the board as president. Over the last three years, TST has flourished. Workshops have expanded significantly, more instructors have been certified, and wallers are moving through the various levels of DSWA certification. Pete remains committed to the mission of TST even as he passes the leadership reins to incoming board president Dan Peterson. Pete will serve on the newly created Executive Committee as President Emeritus.
TST has benefited from Pete’s steady and transparent leadership. From Pete’s perspective, the development of a smoother functioning and more organized board has been a continuation of his long career of mentoring and teaching. Similar to a well-constructed stone wall, The Stone Trust Board is an interlocking group of individuals and committees that are dedicated to seeing TST advance its goal of enduring excellence in all its activities.
Many thanks to fellow board member Paul Peterson for interviewing all twelve of TST’s board members over the course of the last year. Paul has helped develop the kinds of enjoyable relationships that make working together a pleasure. Thank you, Paul!