It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Peggy Boston earlier this month, a cherished member of our advisory board and a devoted volunteer within the Houston Audubon community. Peggy was introduced to birding in the late 1980s by longtime Houston Audubon volunteer Ellen Red, and she quickly became an integral part of our organization. Many people met Peggy at beach cleanups and High Island workdays, where she loved chatting with new people and encouraging them to get involved. Learn more about Peggy in the words of Houston Audubon volunteer Winnie Burkett:
In the mid-1990s, as Houston Audubon began expanding merchandise sales at High Island, Peggy took the lead in organizing those efforts. Her background in architecture proved invaluable when Houston Audubon received a donation to build a new volunteer kiosk at Boy Scout Woods. After gathering input from admissions and sales volunteers, Peggy drafted the plans, and the kiosk was completed in 1995.
When Winnie Burkett transitioned from the Houston Audubon board and Sanctuary VP into a staff role in 1997, Peggy stepped in as Sanctuary VP. She oversaw the addition to the Boy Scout Woods bathrooms in 1999—no small feat given the challenge of finding skilled workers in High Island—and later helped develop the plans for “Wray’s Roost,” the garage built in 2006 that allowed us to finally house essential equipment like a tractor, greatly improving sanctuary operations.
Peggy’s leadership extended deeply into the admissions and merchandise work at High Island. After Bessie Cornelius began collecting admissions in the mid-1980s and building a volunteer team, Peggy took on responsibility for merchandise sales—a role that grew significantly with the construction of the larger kiosk. As Bessie aged, Peggy assumed more of the admissions duties as well. Her warm, outgoing personality made her a natural recruiter of volunteers and a wonderful role model, always ready to offer help to sanctuary visitors.
Peggy was also a talented fundraiser, never hesitant to share Houston Audubon’s needs and projects with enthusiasm and sincerity.
In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Peggy was honored as an inaugural Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award recipient in 2002. She was one of the core individuals who consistently stepped up whenever and wherever she was needed. Peggy played an essential role in welcoming people into the Houston Audubon community—always gracious, warm, and eager to share her enthusiasm and unwavering loyalty to the organization.
Peggy will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of working alongside her.
Houston AuduBlog 
Yes we remember Peggy! She was @ Boy Scout Woods the first time we went to spring migration so many years ago. Peggy was inspirational to us seeing we were new birders that we were helped by her in naming some of the birds we were seeing and knowing how to use our binoculars to find the birds. She was just so kind, helpful and informed that we were taken by her generous spirit and goodness. Did not see her much after that but always remembered her goodness and kindness to new birders. Our sympathy to her family, friends and all that loved and will miss her.
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