The Legacy of Jerry Palmieri

Vivian Jerry Palmieri, of Jamestown, passed away in April of 2014 at the age of 85. A graduate of Williams College where he earned a degree in economics, he served in the US Air Force during the Korean War. In 1963 he joined Franklin Templeton Investments where he managed the Bronze-rated Franklin Growth fund.

In his later years, Mr. Palmieri lived in Jamestown and grew devoted to the Island’s environment. He cultivated beautiful gardens of roses, tulips, daffodils and other flowers. He also established an orchard and grape arbors, and maintained bee hives to support his horticultural endeavors.

Following his death, the Vivian J. Palmieri Charitable Trust was established to promote rose plantings around Jamestown. The Taylor Point Restoration Association has been the fortunate recipient of grant funding from the Palmieri Trust and currently has plans to conduct a Potter Cove Beach Test Project to design and implement strategies to replace nuisance invasive species growing on Potter Cove Beach with native plants without leaving the beach open to erosion.

Native Virginia Rose ( Rosa virginiana ) grows naturally on Potter Cove Beach. This rose is considered a good choice to replace some of the invasive plants. TPRA has received the requisite CRMC permit to initiate this work and planning is underway.

TPRA wishes to thank the Palmieri Trust for their support of our restoration efforts.