Former educator and historian honored on New Cumberland Arboretum’s Path of Leadership

A former West Coast teacher and history buff is the 2020 recipient chosen to be commemorated on a bronze plaque along the ‘Path of Leadership’ at the Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve in New Cumberland.

Gerald Brinton, who died in 2013 at the age of 94, was for many years the Director of the School Program in the West Shore School District after years of service as a teacher at Cedar Cliff High School and the New Cumberland High School, as well as three other schools previously.

The longtime New Cumberland resident was also heavily involved in Cumberland County Historical Society and the Harrisburg Civil War Roundtable and known nationally as a Civil War expert.

“Dr. Brinton was a motivated, humble scholar and intensely dedicated to education and the betterment of society,” said David Peiffer, executive director of the Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve. “Our community must never forget the local leaders who have devoted so much of their time and energy to making our West Shore municipalities a better place to live.

In 1975, Brinton led a group of Cedar Cliff students in a basement search of what is now the New Cumberland Library, looking for evidence of the rumored “Underground Railroad” tunnel. He is the founding father of the Benjamin House Project, inaugurated on July 4, 1976 as the New Cumberland Public Library. He also later served as chairman of the library board.

No public ceremony has taken place to dedicate the Brinton Memorial due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The trail honoring community leaders is open to the public and located behind the Arboretum Visitor Center at 1841 Brookview Drive in Beacon Hill in New Cumberland. Peiffer said his goal was to preserve the legacy of dedicated local leaders for future generations to appreciate.

Last year’s winner was the late New Cumberland Borough Chief and Lawyer Jon LaFaver.

The arboretum located on 35 wooded acres straddling the border of New Cumberland and Lower Allen Township was opened in 2018. It is named after Peiffer’s late parents, Howard and Rosemarie Peiffer, who was the first woman to occupy the post of Commissioner in Cumberland County. Their son embarks on construction the arboretum and the non-profit nature reserve honor his parents for their commitment to land preservation, agriculture and community service.

Jan Murphy can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.