Supporter Spotlight: Larry and Madeline Petersen – A Lasting Legacy
By Becky Wiegand,
Manager, Digital Communications
April 14, 2023
When Larry and Madeline Petersen decided to leave a gift to MALT in their estate plans, it was driven by a desire to make a lasting legacy on the landscape.
“It’s not so much about being remembered,” Larry shared, “but about helping protect something greater than ourselves.”
Having come of age in California in the 1960s, the couple was all too familiar with the realities of unchecked suburban sprawl. The Bay Area’s expansive open spaces and strong ethic of land conservation, as Larry further shared, “have always resonated with our souls.”
Madeline and Larry Petersen visiting a ranch in West Marin in 2022.
The couple met in the mid-1970s and together built their shared businesses from the ground, including LP Marketing, Bayview Distributing and Bayview Development. Of their distinguished career highlights, 32 years of working together is among the most notable — the majority of their 42 years of marriage.
On visits to Marin and Sonoma counties from their home in the East Bay hills, they began to learn the agricultural landscape of the North Bay.
“This landscape just makes me feel good,” shared Larry. “And for all the hard work and success we’ve had — I don’t need a trophy or monument — we wanted our legacy to be the fact that we’re leaving all this beautiful land, as much as we can, for everyone that comes after us to enjoy.”
We are deeply grateful for the Petersen’s tremendous generosity and the opportunity to perpetuate our shared vision for the future of Marin County. Their legacy will be preserved in the beauty and vitality of our agricultural lands, a gift not just for MALT but for all who call this landscape home.
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MALT recently announced the re-dedication of our Legacy Giving Circle as the Phyllis Faber Legacy Giving Circle, in honor of MALT’s co-founder and longtime Legacy Giving Circle member Phyllis Faber, who passed away in January 2023.
Learn more about legacy giving and contact us if you’re interested in protecting Marin’s farmland forever through MALT in your philanthropy plans.