Ford Reiche Receives ALF’s Distinguished Community Service Award

On May 4, 2025, ALF honored Ford Reiche with a “Distinguished Community Service Award” during the organization’s annual Gala, which was held at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine. The following tribute was written by Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF Executive Director:

At the outer reaches of Maine’s Casco Bay, there stands a stalwart lighthouse known as Halfway Rock. Wave-swept and remote, this granite sentinel embodies the essence of gallantry—just like its intrepid owner, Ford Reiche.

The lighthouse community in Maine—and beyond, is well aware of Ford and his inspiring preservation efforts. If one looks upon Halfway Rock, its gold standard restoration is readily seen. Ford Reiche has set the bar of excellence for an offshore lighthouse preservation project quite high, but his impact on Maine lighthouses has gone far beyond the sparkling waters of Casco Bay.

Remember the devastating back-to-back storms of January 2024? It is safe to say few will ever forget the widespread harm these two storms caused. In the wake of such havoc, there was scant information on how Maine’s light stations fared. It being wintertime only compounded the depth of the unknown since most lighthouse stewards had removed their boats from the water.

As statewide disaster recovery assessment efforts commenced, it was assumed that lighthouses must have suffered greatly too, but without verification, the extent of damage would remain a mystery. Enter Ford Reiche!

Ford realized that urgent action was needed—and the only way to expedite the process of obtaining critical data was to take to the air. Two weeks after the storms, Ford and his compatriots mapped out a route for their helicopter flight. The route provided aerial observation of every lighthouse from Seguin Island at the entrance to the Kennebec River to Winter Harbor in Frenchman Bay, and included Maine’s most remote light stations—Matinicus Rock and Mount Desert Rock.

In all, the flight confirmed that nearly one-third of Maine’s 66 historic light stations suffered harm. One could have been disheartened by such findings, or one could have pushed through the moment with conviction and do something about it. As you may imagine, in undaunted fashion, Ford chose the latter path. Onward!

During the weeks and months that followed, Ford Reiche spoke with Maine policymakers and regulators, reached out for preservation leaders like the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and National Trust for Historic Preservation, conducted dozens of media interviews and volunteered to become part of the American Lighthouse Foundation’s Storm & Mitigation Response Team.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. He also proved steadfast in sounding the alarm on climate change, rising sea levels and the urgent need to mitigate hazards caused by extreme weather. To this end, The Presumpscot Foundation, of which Ford serves as President, partnered with Maine Preservation and the American Lighthouse Foundation on a creative nomination of Maine’s 66 historic light stations to the World Monuments Fund’s 2025 Watch List.

On January 15, 2025, a global announcement was made by the World Monuments Fund stating that Maine’s lighthouses—as a collective, were selected to the 2025 Watch List. The Watch is a biennial nomination-based advocacy program featuring 25 historic places facing major challenges such as climate change, tourism, conflict, and natural disaster. Maine’s lighthouses and the Swahili Coast of Africa were the only two international sites selected due to threats posed to them by climate change.

In addition to being an active participant on the American Lighthouse Foundation’s Storm & Mitigation Response Team, which is dedicated to finding actionable solutions that will help lighthouses become more resilient, Ford Reiche is also serving as a mentor with the University of New England’s Sustainability Fellowship program. This internship program is conducting case studies at eight Maine light stations in partnership with the World Monuments Fund and the American Lighthouse Foundation.

Ford Reiche, who has owned and completely restored five buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and served as the trustee for several historic preservation organizations in Maine, has been honored by the National Maritime Historical Society and Maine Historical Society for his outstanding contributions to preserving Maine history. He is also a past recipient of Maine Large Business Person of the Year award.

With all this said, Ford Reiche is much more than a preservationist—he is a trend setter and a leader. When it comes to climate change and how it is impacting Maine’s lighthouses, Ford is on the front lines helping revolutionize ways of integrating resiliency into the fabric of light stations. He is making a real difference at a time in history when it is needed most!

It gives the American Lighthouse Foundation great pleasure to present Ford Reiche with a 2025 Distinguished Community Service Award for his wonderful support of our organization’s mission and Maine’s lighthouses.