History was in her blood

Freehold Township lost one of its most prominent caretakers when Nancy Dubois Wood died May 28.

Wood, 86, was a lifelong resident of Freehold, a graduate of its public schools and a graduate of Freehold High School.

It was my honor to get to know Wood when I served with her on the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission in the mid-1990s. Her knowledge of local history and her commitment to preserving Freehold Township's buildings and landscape took a back seat to no one.

It takes a lot of enthusiasm, and a bit of an attitude that things may not always go your way, when you serve on a historic preservation commission. Developers and elected officials in search of profits and ratables do not always see eye to eye with historic commission members who are trying hard to maintain a part of what once was.

Wood had the enthusiasm to keep fighting to preserve the elements of the community that make it special.

People who serve on historic commissions or belong to a historic association take pleasure in completing tasks one at a time. Progress is measured in saving an old barn from the wrecking ball, or producing a pamphlet that lets residents know about the historic aspects of their community, or honoring residents who have preserved their historic homes.

Wood took pride in all of that during her service to Freehold Township. The Oakley house was preserved and turned into the headquarters of the Historic Preservation Commission; the one-room West Freehold School was preserved and renovated so that future generations of the community can see what it was like to attend school in the earliest days of the 20th century; the commission did, in fact, develop a mission statement and publish a pamphlet that describes many of Freehold Township's historic sites; and there were more accomplishments in which she played a role.

It turned out that Nancy Wood and I shared more than just a love of local history. I learned that at one point in her life she had worked for the old Freehold Transcript - one of the forerunners of the News Transcript. Wood told me how the Freehold Transcript staff worked in its small offices on South Street in Freehold Borough and produced a newspaper that was the must-read journal of life in western Monmouth County every week. I enjoyed that connection.

My sympathies go out to Wood's family. I hope that Freehold Township officials will one day come up with a small but significant way of honoring a woman who was dedicated to her hometown for many years and whose efforts ensured that others will enjoy the fruits of her labor with the Historic Preservation Commission for years to come.

Mark Rosman is the managing editor of the News Transcript.