On July 1, 2015, some of Bernheim’s interns with Wren Smith, Interpretive Programs Manager and Isaac Bernheim’s great-grandson (and Bernheim Trustee), Tom Block. Amanda Ross, education intern, Kyle Kramer, Jacob Zink, Grayson Huck, and Parker Watson, all natural areas interns, gathered at Isaac’s Cafe to embark on a unique adventure. Though any hike with strangers becomes a hike back with friends, this hike with Thomas Block is an annual rite for interns that introduces them to a unique history and point of view.
Tom Block led the group up a quiet trail to Mister Paul’s picnic table, a spot used by Isaac Bernheim’s first secretary as a quiet lunch spot. There he highlighted his great-grandfather’s past, the impact of the holocaust on Isaac’s hometown in Germany, and the long, hard trail from traveling peddler to bourbon distiller, and finally to the legendary figure we know of today.
He also shared his own wisdom and history, leaving everyone in attendance with the critical thought of finding balance between conservation and development.