Do You Want To Own A “Kroegel”?

To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Sebastian United Methodist Church on Jan. 17, 2007, 25 signed and numbered bronze statuettes of Paul Kroegel have been unveiled. Kroegel was the warden of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the nation’s first wildlife preserve, which was opened by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903.

Kroegel is considered one of the nation’s first and most important environmentalists, and was an active member of the Sebastian church from the early 1900s until his death in 1948. As well as attending services, he cared for the facilities and grounds and built pews, a lectern and a pulpit that will be used during the anniversary celebrations. The Kroegel statuettes will help raise funds for a new sanctuary for the church, which is the oldest continually operating place of worship in the county.

Read the entire article in the March 2007 issue