To their everlasting credit, Beverly and Richard Tilghman rarely turn down an invitation to be honored by the local organizations they are eager to help. While this very modest couple sees this kind of attention as perhaps the equivalent of a root canal procedure, the Tilghmans understand better than most, after decades of serving on volunteer boards of schools and organizations, that this temporary spotlight on them can significantly help the causes they believe deserve support.
And it is also true that those organizations have had an abundance of cause to recognize the Tilghmans. Best known for their leadership in historic preservation and their family’s centuries-old stewardship of the famed Wye House, the Tilghmans have also had a lifelong commitment to ecological conservation. From creating their own living shoreline at Wye House to being advocates for land conservation, water protection, and the critical role of research, the Tilghmans were the logical choice to be awarded by the UM-Horn Point Lab in Dorchester County as the Chesapeake Champions for 2021.
With a community celebration set for September 30th at the Tidewater Inn. the Tilghmans sat down with the Spy at Wye House last week to talk about their love of Horn Point, its remarkable research by its talented pool of young graduate students, and how education is making the difference in protecting the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
This video is approximately minutes in length. Additional photography by Jeff McGuiness. For more information and ticket information for the Chesapeake Champion event please go here.
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