Board of Trustees

Don Upton, Chair

Don has been involved at the Cathedral of the Pines for nearly 30 years after being married there. He and his wife, Dorrie are very passionate about the mission. Don ran a company in Massachusetts for 27 years before retiring in 2001 and started a maple syrup business. He loves the Cathedral of the Pines museum, and enjoys meeting visitors from all over the world and listening to their stories. With so much diversity in the country today, the Cathedral of the Pines provides a place of peace and respect for all who visit here.

Ernest Found, Vice Chair

Ernie thinks that the Cathedral can serve a most integral role in providing the spiritual needs of all that seek its bounty. Ernie gladly, honorably, and humbly helps Cathedral of the Pines move forward into the future.

Greg Walsh, Treasurer

Greg Walsh originates from Potsdam, NY, and he is the youngest of five along with his twin sister Mary.  His father was a college administrator, and his mother was an RN. He established a successful auction service business in 1979 in the St. Lawrence County region of Northern NY.  Greg moved to the Monadnock region in 2008 with his wife Kim Mooney, resided in Keene for 10 years and moved to Rindge in November 2018.  Kim is in her fourth year as President of Franklin Pierce University and they occupy the newly built home for the president “Pearly House” on the FPU campus. Greg is currently very active in the auction and in-home estate sale business as well as being in his 21st year as an eBay “power seller”. He serves on the NH Board of Auctioneers as Chair, the Board of Cathedral of the Pines, and is a new member of the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club. He enjoys cycling, boating, table tennis, and collecting antiques, U.S. coins and paper currency.

Kathryn Johnson, Secretary

Kathy has lived in the Monadnock region her entire life. Since retiring as an RN she has devoted much of her time to volunteering in different capacities. She has a passion for children especially and has been a devoted CASA volunteer for the past seven years.

Cathedral of the Pines has always been a place of importance to her, having attended many important events there such as weddings, memorials and other special services. For the past few years Kathy has volunteered primarily in the gift shop. It has been rewarding to see the success of her efforts.

In her spare time Kathy enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and travelling with her husband Bob. Bob is also a volunteer and serves as an Incorporator.

Jedadiah Paquin, Member

Jed has lived in Rindge most of his life and in the Monadnock region his whole life.

He was introduced to the Cathedral of the Pines as a young boy attending multiple outdoor ceremonies for Christenings, weddings, religious ceremonies etc. Throughout his teenage years, he was an active member of a church that met in the Hilltop House until the church constructed a building of their own.

Jed is the sole proprietor as a licensed land surveyor.  He assisted the Cathedral of the Pines in subdividing High Corner and Red Cottage.  He has also provided general planning and land use consultation for the Cathedral. In his previous employment he surveyed the area between the Altar of the Nation and the Hilltop House.

Lucia Sloane, Member

For Lucia, it is an honor to have been selected to serve as a Trustee of the Cathedral of the Pines. The Cathedral has held a special place in her life and in her heart for as long as she can remember. “There hasn’t been a year that I haven’t returned to the Cathedral to connect with the unifying spirit of nature and service, and to remember with gratitude the lives of my family members.” Over the years, Lucia witnessed the dedicated efforts of her grandfather, Douglas Sloane IV, and her father, William Sloane, as they nurtured the mission of the Cathedral. Lucia has heard the stories of her great-grandparents, Douglas Sloane III and Sibyl Sanderson Sloane, of their vision and hope in our greater community. She remembers the efforts of her great-aunt Margaret Brummer to make the Cathedral a place of inspiring beauty. It is Lucia’s goal to serve the Cathedral with a commitment to our history and our future aspirations.

Professionally, Lucia practices as a physical therapist in Boston, Massachusetts. Apart from her family history, their lives and their memory are certainly motivating interests of hers.

James Weidner, Member

Jim is a previous owner of Gap Mountain Drilling. After selling Gap Mountain, he started Weidner Services, a full-service welding, fabrication, and machine shop. Jim has worked on many projects including hand-crafted wrought iron fencing to custom steel staircases and has redone some of the ironwork at the Cathedral, adding beautiful design touches to each piece.

Jim has had a lifelong involvement with 4-H and was a critical part of revamping the Monadnock Mountaineers 4-H club. He is active at the county level, as a member of the Cheshire County Advisory Council, as well as the 4-H Advisory Council. Jim also serves on the Dublin engine show committee and enjoys having a role in the show each year.

Jim’s hobbies include woodworking, hiking, gardening, antique tractor restoration and skiing. Erin and Katy, Jim’s daughters, are the light of his life. The girls appreciate their family’s deep connection to the Cathedral

Gretchen Ziegler, Member

Gretchen was a visitor to the Cathedral of the Pines during her youth with her father. He had been a leader in the Boy Scout Troop 1 in Newton, MA where Mr. Douglas Sloane was the Scoutmaster. She became active on the Board of Trustees in early 1980s, serving in all the officer positions and as chair of the Program Committee. She is Professor Emerita of Recreation Management, Business Administration, and Geography at Franklin Pierce College (now University). Gretchen is the former owner/manager of Field ‘n Forest Recreation Area where she worked for 35 years. She is also active in the tourism industry in New Hampshire and is currently serving as Board Chair of the Granite State Ambassadors. Gretchen was the President of the Bates College Class of 1964.

Del Friedman

Del Friedman is a retired software engineer living on Emerson Pond within sight of Cathedral’s Pondunk cottage. One of Del’s passions during retirement is building and maintaining hiking trails, including those in Cathedral of the Pines and the adjacent tracts of the Society for the Protection of NH Forests and Annett State Forest. Del sees Cathedral of the Pines as a wonderful resource to the entire region, a place to find both refuge and community. Del’s father was a WWII B17 bombardier shot down over occupied France on a post-D-Day sortie and held as a POW until liberation 9 months later.

Bill Sloane

My connection to Cathedral of the Pines runs deep, both through family and through the opportunity to contribute towards the efforts to keep its history continuing and its ideals alive.  It was a particular honor for me to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the 50th Anniversary year (1995) of the Cathedral’s founding.  The event celebrating this anniversary was truly special and saw the last time many of the Founding members from the “Greatest Generation” were still with us.  Sandy Sloane’s younger brother, Jack, also a WWII pilot, joined the flight crew of a B-17 in a fly-over, as a salute to Sandy.  It was my great privilege to serve as Master of Ceremonies, and to honor the moment with my dad, Douglas Sloane IV; my aunts, Peggy Sloane Brummer and Margaret McLellan, Sandy’s widow; and, Victor Slack, another pilot from Sandy’s squadron, who flew on the same mission on which Sandy was lost. Not able to attend, but with us in spirit, was 95-year-old Father Walter Sullivan, Chaplain of the 379th Bomb Group, who sent remembrances and best wishes.  I am delighted to return as a Trustee to continue their legacy of putting country above self and making the sacrifices necessary to defend it.

Jerry Branch

Jerry began his career as an ROTC Army officer with service in the USA and Vietnam where he was a Platoon Leader and Company Commander. He became an international oil exploration geologist following his military service and after receiving his geology MS degree. His work was focused mainly in the Far East, Middle East and the US. He rounded out his career as a corporate sales executive in the US. His avocation is design and construction with wood. His involvement with the Cathedral began several years back when he designed and built several structures on the Cathedral campus, and he became an incorporator. He loves the Veteran focus at the Cathedral and serves on the Program Committee to plan and implement programs for veterans, and also the Governance Committee.

Volunteers

We are honored and grateful to the many dedicated volunteers who contribute to the success of our day-to-day operations and special events here at Cathedral of the Pines.

Michael Mastergeorge, Maintenance 

James Roy, Photography

James Banghart, Del Friedman, David Kuusisto Hiking Trails

Pat Frank, Cindy Hirt, Kathy and Bob Johnson, Hope Pettegrew, Gift Shop 

Bob Johnson, Pianist