Robert and Susan Peck, whose service to the community spans decades, will be honored at the Chestnut Hill Conservancy's annual Spring Gala on Saturday, May 31. The celebration will take place at a historic 19th-century location in Chestnut Hill that is not being shared publicly. 

“When people register for the event, they will get the exact address,” said Chrissy Clawson, programs and communications manager for the Conservancy.

Far less mysterious are the identities of the honorees or the reasons for their well-deserved recognition.

Clawson said, “While not every honoree needs to have chaired a program, all honorees should have meaningful involvement from within the organization, often complemented by broader efforts that reflect and advance the Conservancy’s mission. 

“The Pecks exemplify this. Their decades of leadership, stewardship, and public engagement — both within the Conservancy and through aligned institutions — clearly support our mission to preserve the natural and built environments of Chestnut Hill and surrounding communities in the lower Wissahickon watershed. Their record not only meets that threshold, it far exceeds it.”

No “armchair scholar”

Robert Peck, 72, was Curator of Art and Artifacts and a Senior Fellow at Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences for a half-century after working at the Academy for two summers during his high school years at Chestnut Hill Academy. “We are fortunate to live in a 213-year-old house and garden that were both redesigned by my father, the landscape architect Frederick W. Peck, in the 1950s,” Robert told the Local.

His significant accomplishments could fill many more articles than this one. For example, in July 2010, Peck announced that he resolved a decadeslong quest by scholars to locate world-renowned artist, naturalist, and ornithologist John Audubon's first published illustration. The finding was heralded by Audubon scholars as a “eureka moment.”

“He found the needle in the haystack,” Nancy Powell, curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the John James Audubon Center in Audubon, Pennsylvania, told the Local following Peck’s groundbreaking discovery 15 years ago. “People had tried everything, literally, for more than 50 years. The discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of Audubon.”

Peck is hardly an armchair scholar. He has done research in some of the world's most remote, dangerous places. In his 1987 book, “Headhunters and Hummingbirds: An Expedition in Ecuador,” he tells the story of a 1984 birdwatching expedition along the Ecuadorian and Peruvian border where he and others escaped the indigenous Shuar tribe who was trying to kill them. 

“It was quite scary,” Peck recounted. “But the threats to our lives were only some of the challenges we faced. Because our supply lines were cut, we had to survive on very little food. As the chronicler of the expedition, I always assumed I would survive, for I knew someone would have to tell the story. It was only after I got home that I realized how close we had come to not making it back.”

Peck made seven trips to Mongolia, living with and documenting the lives of the nomadic herdsmen whose ancestors have lived there for at least 2,300 years, according to historians of the region. 

“I also loved my time looking for new birds in the Andes with the Ornithology Department,” he said, “collecting new fish species in the Amazon and Orinoco with the Ichthyology Department, searching the islands of the Caribbean for African desert locusts and exploring Namibia’s 'Skeleton Coast'  with our curator of entomology.” 

Peck also received acclaim for his 2012 book, “A Glorious Enterprise: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Making of American Science,” winner of the 2012 Literary Award from the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. In that book, Peck profiles notable figures including Thomas Jefferson, John James Audubon, Robert Peary, Ernest Hemingway and the “real” James Bond.

“The writing of that book took three years,” Peck said. “But my research took about 30 years! I didn’t know I was researching for a book, but I began to build files as soon as I arrived at the Academy in 1976 ... And at 435 pages, the book can double as a doorstop!”

Volunteer extraordinaire

Susan Peck has led an equally impressive life as a scholar, researcher, and community member dedicated to conservation, preservation, and community. Susan has her MA, MS and PhD in Public Health from Harvard University. Robert's degrees are in Art History, Archaeology from Princeton (class of '74) and an MA from the Winterthur Program in American Cultural History at the University of Delaware. He also has an honorary PhD in Humane Letters from the University of Delaware (2012).

Susan grew up in the Boston area and relocated to Chestnut Hill after marrying Bob 27 years ago, and has worked on many environmental programs and serves on the boards of the Morris Arboretum, Chestnut Hill Conservancy, and Chestnut Hill Garden District. She also serves on the boards of the Quebec-Labrador Foundation and Island Readers and Writers (in Maine). Both Pecks have been involved with the Conservancy since 2000. 

“I love this community and its people and organizations,” Susan told the Local. “Our community has so much to offer, and I firmly believe in trying to give back as much as I can. I was raised in a family that was very involved in their community, volunteering and serving with many organizations. They set a wonderful example for me.”

Susan was humble and self-effacing when asked about the Conservancy award. “Bob and I both feel that there are many people in this community who deserve such an award more than we do,” she said, “and we are so honored to be chosen to receive it this year. We have loved being involved with the Conservancy, and we can’t thank this wonderful organization enough for honoring us.”

At the Conservancy, Susan served as program committee member and co-chair, chair of the “Italian Artisans Who Built Chestnut Hill” program, and volunteer for the Great Houses Tour and other Conservancy public programs and events. 

Bob is also a longtime Conservancy stalwart. Two years ago, he spoke at the 2023 Spring Gala for the benefactors’ reception and will speak again at this year’s gala. 

Bob is also a board member for the Whitemarsh Foundation, Longwood Gardens, and Winterthur Museum, and a local reforestation advocate. He said serving on these boards allows him to combine his love of the environment with his passions for culture and history. All three organizations serve important roles in public education and contribute to our quality of life, he said. 

Likewise, Susan told the Local, “The Chestnut Hill Conservancy and Morris Arboretum volunteer work have meant the most to me. The Conservancy helps to preserve our cultural and environmental resources for future generations. The arboretum enriches the quality of life in our community and provides educational training in horticulture and conservation for the public.”

The Pecks have two sons and a daughter, all three of whom, Robert said, “are committed to environmental causes around the country.”

For Spring Gala ticket information, visit chconservancy.org/support/spring-gala-2025. Len Lear can be reached at LenLear@chestnuthilllocal.com.