News and Events Dedication of Golden Ridge On May 17, some 80 people gathered at the Forest to dedicate Golden Ridge in honor of William T. Golden, founder of the Black Rock Forest Consortium, who died October 7, 2007. Located in the western part of the Forest, Golden Ridge is about one mile long and lies 150 feet above Sutherland and Sphagnum Ponds. The Stillman Trail, named after Forest founder E. G. Stillman, runs along much of its length, and it offers a dramatic view over Sutherland Pond to the skyline of New York City, visible in the distance on clear days. At the dedication ceremony, Consortium Executive Director Dr. William Schuster unveiled a large boulder that had been moved, by Forest Manger John Brady, to a site just below the Ridge and inscribed to Mr. Golden. He was joined by Sibyl R. Golden, Chairman of the Consortium and Mr. Golden's daughter, and Catherine Morrison Golden, Mr. Golden's widow. Dr. Philip V. Ammirato, a Barnard professor and the first president of the Consortium described how Mr. Golden began to develop the idea for the Consortium in 1981, 8 years before its founding in 1989. "The energy and commitment he showed for Black Rock Forest belied his many other activities," Dr. Ammirato said. "But the Black Rock Forest Consortium he envisioned and worked so hard to establish continues to grow and develop and reach for that vision Bill Golden saw 27 years ago." He also noted that the Ridge itself is predominantly gneiss, a metamorphic derivative of granite. "Granite implies endurance and steadfastness, and gneiss adds a wonderful sheen and glow. This is indeed a suitable ridge to serve as a memorial to William T. Golden." Back at the Forest Lodge, Dr. Joel E. Cohen, a professor at both Rockefeller University and Columbia University and a member of the Consortium board, spoke of his personal connections with Mr. Golden. "Bill Golden was a man of humor and seriousness, of warmth and purpose, of spontaneity and discipline. How lucky we have been, those of us who knew Bill Golden, the public and private man."
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