Loving the river as much as each other—Great Falls and all

Do you remember when you first fell in love with the Potomac River?

For Mary and Art, a local couple living in Arlington, Virginia, the fond memories go all the way back to their childhood—and their love for the river only grew throughout their lives.

Art, who hails from New York, first encountered the “spectacular” Potomac River as a young boy on a civil war-themed trip to Harpers Ferry with his parents.

Several years later, while interning in Washington, DC, he hopped on a boat cruise from DC down to Mt. Vernon on a sunny November afternoon. Taking in the great views of the expansive river running right through the heart of our Nation’s Capital, Art noticed he was getting a winter tan. He could not believe how beautiful and pleasant it felt on the river. “This is really great,” he thought. “I’ve got to come back to this city.” The Potomac helped sell him on what would later become a lifetime spent in the DC region.

Mary, who grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, was also fascinated by the river since she was a child. She and her family would regularly visit Great Falls, where her mom always worried about the kids climbing on rocks. To young Mary, the waterfalls looked enormous.

When fondness turns to deep care

Years later, Mary and Art met and built a life in the area. They continued to visit Great Falls together, and whenever they had guests from out of town who were eager to visit the DC monuments, Mary and Art made it a point to take them to the most beautiful local monument they could think of—their beloved Great Falls.

But one such visit with guests turned into a stark realization.

Switching things up, they decided to take a couple of friends on a boat trip out of Old Town Alexandria. When the boat passed a water treatment plant on the opposite shore, Art started experiencing allergy-like symptoms. By the end of the trip, he was going through a full-blown allergy attack and was anxious to get home and take a shower. He noticed a bad smell, too.

This affirmed to them something they have believed for years.

“The river needs to be cleaned up, right now,” they realized. “This is the water we drink.”

Giving back (and not looking back)

Determined to do their part to restore the Potomac River’s health and local wildlife, Mary and Art got involved with Potomac Conservancy.

“When you think about New York, New Orleans, or Pittsburgh, you visualize the city together with its river. But when people think about Washington, they think of the government, monuments, or the Smithsonian. We’d love for people to associate Washington with this magnificent river. But it has to be environmentally sound.”

— Mary and Art

Their shared love for the Potomac, as well as deep concern for public health and local wildlife, recently inspired them to include Potomac Conservancy in their estate plan. Their gift will provide critical funding for our local forest protection, clean water advocacy, and community conservation initiatives.

“We wanted to do something for our local community that we’re wedded to and that has done so much for us. We see the Potomac as a permanent part of the Washington story that we can contribute to.”

photo by fritz flohr reynolds via flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Opening a new chapter

Mary and Art now cross the Chain Bridge over the Potomac every Sunday to go to church. They love looking out from the bridge on both sides, catching sight of the rapids, spotting people in boats, and noticing if water is low or high.

And when the spring comes, they look forward to walking along the C&O Canal and picnicking on the riverfront near Alexandria just like they did at the height of the pandemic.

Every season spent by the river is a good season—and Mary and Art want to make it last.