Former Lawrence Township administrator Rich Krawczun and Hopewell administrator and engineer Paul Pogorzelski were honored at the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Trailblazer Awards.
Krawczun and Pogorzelski, who are both known for their leadership and commitment to their communities, were lauded at the LHT Trailblazer Awards for their of support for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. The biking and walking trail loops through Lawrence and Hopewell townships, anchored by four Bristol-Myers Squibb campuses, the Educational Testing Service and Mercer Meadows.
“The LHT benefited from Rich Krawczun’s knowledge of the community, finance, government relations and construction, as well as his superb problem solving skills,” LHT co-president Eleanor V. Horne, said, adding that most of the trail segments in Lawrence were completed during his tenure.
LHT co-president Becky Taylor said Pogorzelski’s contributions included sharing his passion for flying to capture the bird’s eye view of the terrain in Hopewell in the days before Google Maps’ aerial views were available.
“Because of Paul’s avocation, we were able to establish the LHT route using a perspective that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to us,” she said.
The caricature created by cartoonist Mike Scott — a signature of the LHT Trailblazer Awards — features Pogorzelski grinning wildly while flying in his Cessna. Krawczun is featured relaxing in a chair along the trail, thinking about his new life near the beaches of Florida, where he has relocated since his retirement.
The LHT Board of Trustees created the LHT Trailblazer Awards to recognize organizations or individuals providing extraordinary support over three or more years. The nominee’s support can take the form of leadership, professional expertise, financial contributions or advocacy without which the trail would not exist or would not exist in a manner that is consistent with the board’s vision.
