Passionate Birders Put Lab in Their Plans

Sandy and Jeff Bricker learning how to record bird songs at the Weekend at Sapsucker Woods, 2013.

In 1989, Jeff and Sandy Bricker first visited Sapsucker Woods. It was Sandy’s 20th Cornell reunion and the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Cornell Lab. The visit kindled the Brickers’ interest in birds and rekindled their connection with the university.

Soon after their visit, the Brickers moved to rural Pennsylvania; their new backyard was full of birds—Great Blue Herons, Osprey, Bald Eagles, and American Kestrels. As Lab members, Jeff and Sandy tapped into bird publications, people, and resources. Their Lab affiliation also provided opportunities for learning, travel, and involvement.

From the start, Jeff and Sandy’s annual member gifts have advanced the Cornell Lab as a world leader in bird study, appreciation, and conservation. And now, in retirement, the Brickers have been able to step up their investment in Cornell by establishing a trust to benefit them in their lifetimes and then their three loves at Cornell; the Lab of Ornithology, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Astronomy.

The Brickers’ investment in the Cornell Lab is a key element of the Discover Campaign, a special effort to strengthen the Lab’s capacity for advancing the understanding and protection of the planet and all its natural systems. The ultimate beneficiaries of Sandy and Jeff’s legacy will be the birds!