Celebrating Pat Meyers
Patricia Meyers, the N.H. Preservation Alliance’s former board chair and long-time team member, was recently honored with the John Grossman preservation achievement award from Portsmouth Advocates. She has given years of service to the nonprofit boards of the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden and Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, a birthplace of the modern preservation movement, showing extraordinary leadership and dedication to those institutions.
Meyers, at right, exploring St. John’s Church in Portsmouth pre-COVID.
The John Grossman Memorial Award recognizes an individual who makes a reality of an organization's mission by bridging the theoretical and the practical. John Grossman was a tireless supporter of Portsmouth non-profits, Chair of Portsmouth Advocates and friend of the Preservation Alliance for many years.
Ms. Meyers’ board service and commitment to history and preservation extend well beyond the Port City however. A native of Manchester, Pat has also served on the boards of both the Manchester Historic Association and the New Hampshire Historical Society.
Most notable is her long continuous commitment to the Preservation Alliance, New Hampshire’s statewide preservation non-profit based in Concord. During her 10-year board tenure, she served as both Chair and Secretary of the Alliance, and continues her leadership and involvement today as a committee member and with special initiatives. Her unflagging service is legendary. For three decades, Pat has worked with the Alliance and other non-profits to promote preservation's role in community growth and well-being, and to inspire and recruit new advocates and supporters for preservation.
As her fellow board members will attest, Ms. Meyers characteristically shines the spotlight on others while quietly sharing her extensive nonprofit experience and knowledge of the state. Her tireless work ethic makes her invaluable to the organizations lucky enough to work with her.
The Preservation Alliance launched its preservation easement program with the rehab and stewardship of the Pearl of Portsmouth, and Pat has helped interpret and promote that and other significant Portsmouth preservation efforts, including Strawbery Banke's innovative Heritage House Program, for many years. She is known for sharing best practices in communities throughout the state, creatively suggesting appropriate models and strategies to other non-profits as they explore long-term viability scenarios for their historic properties.
Ms. Meyers’ exemplary work has directly affected several other organizations within Portsmouth including the Players’ Ring Theatre, Historic New England, and the Warner House Association. She was honored with an award from Preservation Alliance in 2014 for achievement over time. In addition to working with preservation organizations, she has also served on the boards of two independent schools and the Currier Museum of Art. Ms. Meyers is the former executive director of education, health and human service organizations in Washington, D.C., and also served on the Peace Corps staff there in the 1960s.
Hearty congratulations and thanks to Pat Meyers for all she has done to promote preservation in Portsmouth and throughout New Hampshire!
Since 1989, Portsmouth Advocates have bestowed awards of excellence to owners, designers and contractors whose exceptional work enhances the city's unique historic character. The winners demonstrate a commitment to historic preservation and make Portsmouth a better place to live and work. The Preservation Alliance is pleased to have assisted some of the winners including Player’s Ring Theater and Creek Farm.