The Chadds Ford Civic Association honored resident Bruce Prabel with the organization’s first-ever Outstanding Chadds Ford Citizen of the Year award during its annual membership meeting on Oct. 22.
Also during the meeting — held at the Brandywine River Museum — association members elected five board members and heard a talk from noted architect John Milner.
Prabel, a former roadmaster and tax collector, has been active in the township for more than 30 years. Association President Mary Kot said Prabel has been involved in every roadside cleanup since the association re-instated the program in 1993.
“Bruce has volunteered hundreds and hundreds of hours on township special projects over the years including increasing collections of tax revenues, proposal of a burning ordinance…and detailed needed revisions of Local Service Tax law to bring it into compliance with Pennsylvania state law,” Kot said during her presentation of the award.
Prabel, with a chemistry degree from the University of Utah, said the award was an unexpected honor that will rank high on his list of memories.
During a brief speech, he said that volunteers are what help make Chadds Ford great and hailed those who serve on the Civic Association, the Chadds Ford Historical Society as well as government committees, boards and even the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board.
“It’s astounding how many people devote their time,” Prabel said.
Milner spoke about historic renovation, showing photos of a variety of centuries-old structures and what he can learn from them. He also said that the Chadds Ford area is home to best examples of 18th century architecture. He specifically named the John Chad House and the Barns-Brinton House, both owned by the Chadds Ford Historical Association.
Milner said the Chad House architecture shows how environmentally tuned in builders were in the early 1700s. It has a south-facing front to take advantage of heat and light from the sun and that the ground level kitchen, with its beehive oven, is in the northwest corner of the house, which is the coldest corner.
The Barns-Brinton House also has a south facing front, has large windows of leaded glass and has the “most exceptional” 18th century woodwork, he said. He said the current woodwork is almost all original, a blend of poplar, cedar, and white and yellow pine.
Milner also showed before and after photos of Turner’s Mill, the current municipal building. He was the architect who renovated the building in what many people have said is an excellent example of adaptive reuse. The old building at Ring Road and Route 1 was once a gristmill and an art studio that Howard Pyle used as a school. One of Pyle’s students was N.C. Wyeth.
Association members Kot, Bill Delaney, Pat Foell, Colleen McFadden and Paul Reussille were elected to the Board of Directors by acclamation.
Lead photo: Bruce Prabel receives plaque from Mary Kot.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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