New York State Executive Chamber | Governor Eliot Spitzer

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 22, 2008

STATEMENT BY GOVERNOR SPITZER ON THE PASSING OF ORIN LEHMAN

New York State today mourns the death of Orin Lehman; a true gentleman, decorated war hero, defender of the environment, and the longest-serving commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Orin Lehman’s legacy as a public servant will endure for generations in the finest state park system in the nation. From 1975 to 1993, Orin was a fierce defender and advocate for New York State parks – insisting they remain accessible to all New Yorkers, overseeing an increase in visitation and even establishing new parks including Riverbank in Harlem – all during difficult fiscal times. His legacy endures in New York’s rich array of historic architecture, which he helped protect through the creation of the Historic Preservation Act of 1980.

He will be missed by all whose lives he touched. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family on this sad day.