Granite Bench Installed to Honor Jesse and Winnie Rice

WILBRAHAM - The Minnechaug Land Trust has erected a granite bench in the Rice Nature Preserve to honor Jessie Rice and his wife Winnie. The bench is set into two large boulders and has been placed at the highest outlook on the preserve.

The front of the seat reads "Winnie and Jesse Rice." Winnie died in 2004 just before the Rice Nature Preserve was fully established, and Jessie requested her name come first. The Rice apple motif is incorporated into the design which was executed by Custom Monument Designs of Wilbraham.

Jeffrey Smith, of New England Promotional Marketing (NEPM), and a member of the Rice Nature Preserve Stewardship Committee, a subcommittee of the Minnechaug Land Trust, conceived the design of the bench, and installed it together with Jeffrey O'Connor, owner of American Excavation.

The Land Trust announced that it is grateful to both those men who donated their services and equipment. An engraved quotation by Antoine de Saint-Exupery greaces the seat, which will now serve as an inspirational resting stop fo all those who climb to one of the highest points in Wilbraham.