Bill and Roberta Winsman both lead busy professional lives. Bill is vice president of Key Investment Services, and Roberta is senior vice president at NBT Bank. While their careers demand a lot of time, often more than fifty hours a week, visiting the Landis Arboretum has made a qualitative difference in their lives.
Bill admitted that, for 25 years, he had driven by the sign for the Arboretum and wondered about the place. “It was always a huge unknown,” he said, until Karl Gustafson, a member of the Landis Board of Trustees, extended an invitation to visit. Both Bill and Roberta were immediately attracted to the hiking trails, the sculptures, and, of course, the view from the Meeting House deck. Roberta’s interest in photography found plenty of subject matter, and some of her photos can be seen on the Arboretum’s Facebook page.
After that initial visit, the Winsmans adopted a “bring a guest” rule for every subsequent visit and maintained that more people need to experience what the Arboretum represents. Bill said he fears that an appreciation of nature may be a “dying art.” But places like Landis keep that art alive.
Now that their two sons are in college – Bill Jr. at SUNY Albany, and Joe at Lemoyne College – and they are no longer attending the boys’ high school sporting events, they plan on more time at the Arboretum. Both are avid hikers and look forward to exploring the Arboretum’s new Waterfall Trail. (Bill is also putting hiking the Northville-Lake Placid Trail on his bucket list.) Roberta is anxious for warmer weather and the many photographic possibilities that springtime at Landis provides.
The Winsmans take pride in supporting local organizations, not only by serving on the boards of several non-profit groups, but also by their financial contributions. The first step in their commitment to the Arboretum was their generous underwriting of last year’s Family Picnic.
The Winsmans’ path is a familiar one: take time out from a busy schedule, make a detour to visit the Arboretum, and discover a world you never thought existed.