It is with deep gratitude and sadness that Stroud Water Research Center remembers and celebrates William “Doc” Elkins, M.D., whose unwavering dedication shaped the Stroud Center’s trajectory and legacy.
When the Stroud Center separated from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (now Drexel University) and embarked on a path to become an independent nonprofit, Bill was one of the first to step forward. He volunteered to serve as a founding board member, bringing with him a rare combination of scientific expertise, practical land-based insight, and genuine devotion to our mission.
From those earliest days onward, Bill was all in. He attended nearly every board meeting and became one of the few to participate consistently in senior staff meetings, offering thoughtful guidance and encouragement at nearly every turn.
Buck Run Farm, his nearly 300-acre grass-fed Angus cattle farm on the old King Ranch in Chester County, became an invaluable site for Stroud Center research. He generously offered his land for experimental plots and riparian forest restoration, helping translate freshwater science into practice.
He also strengthened the Stroud Center’s network by introducing key supporters and facilitating significant donations. Bill encouraged family, friends, and connections to invest their time and resources and persuaded many to allow the Stroud Center to plant trees and restore streams on their properties. In doing so, he helped advance best practices for watershed health across the region.
Bill earned a medical degree from Harvard University and had a distinguished career as a scientist, researcher, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania before retiring to run the cattle ranch with his wife, Helen. His background made him uniquely equipped to appreciate the rigor and relevance of freshwater science.
He had a deep understanding of soil health, ecology, and restoration and was an enthusiastic reader of Science. His thoughtful feedback helped shape the Stroud Center’s communication style, making presentations more accessible to non-scientists and more compelling to landowners and community partners.
Bill served as a trustee of the Stroud Foundation and as a board member after the Stroud Center’s separation from the academy, participating on the executive, science, and governance committees. Even after reaching his board term limit, Bill continued attending staff meetings and events. His devotion to the Stroud Center never waned.
A lifelong outdoorsman who loved sailing and fishing, Bill carried a personal appreciation for land and water. That love shaped everything he gave to the Stroud Center — time, resources, land, insight, and heart. Bill Elkins leaves a legacy woven into the very fabric of the Stroud Center. We remain profoundly grateful for his friendship, his guidance, and his belief in what this center for freshwater science could become.
