Henry and the Tushrooms

 Henry Castner came up with an idea and design for mushrooms that folks could sit on and take a rest while walking on our Creekwood Trail. He and I worked on the construction in our back yard. After a few false starts, we got three done -- Concrete and steel. Henry called them Tushrooms.

Photo by Chris Ridley

Our hardy crew of trail keepers joined Henry and me in hauling the sculptures down the trail to the spot that Henry had envisioned them living.

Henry Castner Obit

Henry Castner was born in Louisville, KY to Charles and Ida Walker Castner.  He passed on Friday, November 19, at the University of Chapel Hill Health Center at the age of 89.  Henry attended Centre College of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University, receiving BA and BMeE degrees in 1955.  He worked three years for Westinghouse Electric Company before returning to academics.  At the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he received advanced degrees in geography and cartography.  In Madison he met and in 1964 married Claire Connors of Danbury, CT.

He spent 25 years at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada teaching and conducting research on map design and production, map perception, the history of Russian cartography, and most recently, the relationship between vision, mapping, and geographic education.  He was a founder, and served a term as President of the Canadian Cartographic Association, and was later President of the North American Cartographic Information Society.  He represented Canada on several different Commissions of the International Cartographic Association (ICA).  On his retirement from Queen’s in 1989, he became Emeritus Professor of Geography.  

In retirement, he continued his participation in the ICA Commission on Cartography and Children, and was active in his community of Fearrington Village by making maps of the Village for the annual Directory, and in helping to develop a system of walking trails.  He presented a course, Travels with Henry, in which he shared his travel experiences, to two Education in Retirement groups.

He is survived by his wife, Claire; a daughter, Catherine (Erin) Thames Castner Lord of Quechee, VT; and her daughter, Finley Blue Castner Lord; a son, Henry Christopher (Kip) Castner of Baltimore, MD; a brother, Charles Beaumont Castner of Louisville, KY; and three nieces and three nephews.  

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to the Chatham Habitat for Humanity, 467 West Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312; the Cabbage Patch Settlement House, 1413 South Sixth Street, Louisville, KY 40208; or to Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 or https://www.givetoqueens.ca/

 

A memorial service will be held at the Fearrington Gathering Place on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 from 2:00 to 4 p.m.

Henry Castner, Fearrington Trail Blazer, has passed away

Henry and Claire Castner had lived in their lovely wooded Fearrington neighborhood since 1989. They moved to Carolina Meadows a couple of years ago. Henry died in November 2021

Henry on Creekwood Trail

Henry’s journey to Fearrington, like many of us, was circuitous. He grew up through high school in Louisville Kentucky. “After the war, my father bought a dairy farm,” he remembers. “The experience of farming teaches people to be real problem solvers – using what is around to fix what needs fixing,” he explains. This skill became a real asset in his later endeavors here in Fearrington.

Henry pursued an education in engineering at Centre College in Kentucky, Vanderbilt, U of Pittsburg and earning a PhD in Cartography from University of Wisconsin. He taught cartography in the Geology Department at Queens University in Kingston Ontario, Canada for 25 years. The Castners came to Fearrington, where a family member lived, upon his retirement.

Henry’s experience in mapping made him acutely aware of space and people. “I looked at where our mail kiosks were located and thought about how people went every day to get their mail,” he explains. He noted that each kiosk was 15 minutes from where people lived.  “I realized that Fearrington was meant to be a walking community.”

As a component of R. B. Fitch’s planned development, 15 percent of the land area had to be left as undeveloped space. Areas where houses would not be easily built, like along creeks and low lands were allotted to FHA. In 1995, while serving on the FHA Board as Director of Grounds and Facilities, Henry and Board President Lovick Miller explored the FHA property along the Creekwood stream. “It was a beautiful place just right for a nature walking trail,” Henry realized. There was a deer path along the little creek and some people walked their dogs along it. Henry and a few friends slowly began to make it easier to access and enjoy the area.

Over the years, the walking trails have been developed completely by volunteers in additional areas of our community. The cadre of volunteers has included over 30 Fearringtonians. They have built 11 bridges, 4 stair ways, a labyrinth, and placed 30 benches around the community. Like his dairy farmer father, Henry and his crew have solved problems inexpensively using resources readily around the community. On the North Langdon Trail, an interesting experiment is being conducted. We have a challenge of the deer population destroying vegetation throughout the community, including our trails. The volunteer crew has made a fenced area along the trail to determine whether native plants might recover without deer grazing. As part of our Arbor Day celebrations, trees have been planted in our trail areas.

The Fearrington trail system has evolved to be a special element of life in our community – places to enjoy nature, exercise, bird watch, stroll with friends, or just sit and relax. The trails offer ways to safely walk away from automobile traffic. Relying on his map-making expertise, Henry has created a map to guide our residents on efficient and safe walking around our community.

“Fearrington's trails allow residents to dive into the forest just outside our houses,” asserts Carol-Ann Greenslade, a previous FHA Grounds and Facilities Director and leader of the Arbor Day celebration in Fearrington for many years. “They provide us calm and natural beauty, encourage us to get outside. We love the creeks and the quiet, and our dogs love smelling the wildlife and vegetation.”