In Memory of Ward Stanley

The Hudson River Heritage community joins many in the Hudson Valley and beyond in mourning the late Ward M. Stanley, a long time board member and avid supporter of historic preservation. Ward was interested in everything about everybody and was himself one of the most interesting people we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. We on the HRH Board already miss his constant and colorful contributions to our work together on behalf of historic preservation.

Ward graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s degree in art history, and went on to teach at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) for 30 years. He was a Full Professor of the History of Art and Architecture and a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship for teaching and research. Ward was a longtime member of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy. 
 
In 1993 Ward and his wife Linda relocated to Rhinebeck, NY where they adopted our community as their own and got involved in numerous organizations and causes. Together they opened and ran the Veranda House Bed & Breakfast for almost 10 years. Ward, in addition to serving on the HRH board for many years, served on the Village Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, the local Democratic committee, and as a volunteer at Wilderstein Historic site. Ward also taught Art History, F. L. Wright, and the History of Architecture at the Lifetime Learning Institute (LLI) at Bard College for nearly six years. 

Ward is survived by his wife of 54 years, Linda, and their three daughters and their families.