The East Hampton Town Board voted last Thursday to accept the donation of a park bench in memory of Stuart B. Vorpahl Jr., a fisherman, historian, town trustee, secretary of the East Hampton Baymen’s Association, and a descendant of one of East Hampton’s oldest families.
The bench will feature a plaque bearing the messages “In Loving Memory of Stuart B. Vorpahl Jr.” and “Finest Kind, Bub,” as well as the bayman’s own illustration of a fish. It is to be installed, as soon as this week, in front of the Amagansett Presbyterian Church on that hamlet’s Main Street.
In offering the resolution, Councilman Jeff Bragman called the bayman, who died in 2016, “one of the most persuasive and notable individuals I ever encountered” as a lawyer. “He taught me a lesson early on, and that is, you’ve got to listen to folks who know the local lay of the land.”
Members of Mr. Vorpahl’s family, including his wife, Mary Vorpahl, who is a part-time employee of the town, his daughter, Susan Vorpahl, who is a town trustee, and his grandson Kyle Vorpahl, attended the meeting. Mary Vorpahl is “one of the finest town employees I ever encountered in 30 years of working at Town Hall,” Mr. Bragman said. “She always had a smile on her face.”
“Still does,” said Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc.
Addressing Mrs. Vorpahl, Mr. Bragman said, “We gratefully accept the donation, and gratefully accept the work that you and your family have done.”
