The Luray-Hawksbill Greenway Foundation recently recognized two board members as Members Emeritus.
Kenneth Beyer and Eleanor Ames were awarded this special honor, and we thanked them for their significant and ongoing contributions to Luray’s award-winning Greenway with a celebration lunch.
Ken Beyer is affectionately known as the “Father of the Hawksbill Greenway.” After a career in the US Air Force, he and his wife moved to Luray because they fell in love with the area while hiking nearby trails.
In 1999, as President of the Luray Tree Board, Ken attended a meeting about greenways with Pat O’Brien, Superintendent of Luray’s Parks & Recreation department. When they returned, they proposed the idea of a greenway along Hawksbill Creek to the Luray Town Council. Their proposal was adopted, and the first of four phases of the Greenway opened in 2001.
With the town’s support, Ken enlisted other community leaders to form the Luray Hawksbill Greenway Foundation in June 2009. He served as President for 12 years, and an additional three years as a director, before retiring a few months ago. In 2024, Ken was honored with a park bench at Ruffner Plaza.
Although member Eleanor Ames retired from the Foundation Board a few years ago, she continues to be actively involved in Greenway operations. Eleanor and her husband moved to Page County in 2001 and opened Bluemont Bed & Breakfast. She served as the Secretary of the Greenway Foundation for 10 years.
While she has stepped down from the Board, she continues to manage the website, Facebook, publications, and marketing. In addition to being named as Member Emeritus, Eleanor is being honored with a permanent plaque thanking her for her continuing contributions. You can see it on the Greenway in one of her favorite spots, at the North Greenway parking across from Bulldog Field. She donated the lovely yellow Lemon Pop irises blooming in the spring.
Although retired from the Foundation Board, as Members Emeritus Ken and Eleanor will continue to be involved in promoting the Greenway.
We are extremely grateful to be able to call upon their expertise and wealth of knowledge, particularly as we work with the Town of Luray to plan the next phase of construction. Phase V will connect the Greenway to Yager Spring and the Redwell/Isabella Furnace site, a historical area that formed the foundation of Luray’s early economic development.
The Greenway is a two-mile paved path that runs along Hawksbill Creek in downtown Luray. This wheelchair accessible trail is enjoyed by many thousands of people every year.
For more information about the Foundation and the planned extension of the Greenway, go to https://hawksbillgreenway.org/ or visit the Town of Luray’s website.