Barrington naturalist remembered for his impact on area
One of the first projects Citizens for Conservation in Barrington undertook remains its largest preserve: the 28 miles contained in the Flint Creek Watershed.
Board member Paul F. Hoffman, a plant pathologist, led the cause, and even suggested a way to ultimately protect its aquatic habitats: He pushed for Citizens for Conservation members to begin buying parcels of the property.
"He helped put together the first purchase of what turned out to be the restoration of our largest preserve," says Sam Oliver, Citizens for Conservation executive director. "He brought a whole other level to our board, with his business and corporate background, combined with his love of plants. He helped us to see the big picture."
Mr. Hoffman spent 10 years on the board of the grass-roots organization, including serving as president, and now its members are mourning his passing. The 30-year Barrington resident passed away Dec. 13. He was 84.
Preserving trees and plant life drove Mr. Hoffman ever since he earned an undergraduate degree in forestry and was awarded the first doctoral degree in plant pathology at Iowa State University.
He went to college after World War II, when as a member of the Army Air Corps he became a B-24 bomber captain and led his crew through 50 combat missions. In college, he met his future wife, Jane, whom he married in 1947. They celebrated 54 years of marriage before she passed away in 2001.
"My dad went to school to become a forest ranger," says Betsy Rubak of Barrington. "When they were first married, they were stationed at remote outposts in northern Wisconsin and Idaho."
With his doctoral dissertation conducted on Dutch elm disease, Mr. Hoffman steered away from his work as a ranger to concentrate more on disease. That ultimately would lead him to specialize in creating insecticides and pesticides during his career.
He served as president of Michigan Chemical, before moving his family to Barrington, where he joined Velsicol Chemical in Chicago and became its chairman.
A love of the outdoors continued throughout his life. Whether it was taking the family to their property in the Ozark Mountains, or working in his yard, cutting and pruning his trees, Mr. Hoffman took every chance he could to soak up nature.
"The neighbors used to laugh, because every year, we planted a new tree," Rubak says.
His work with Citizens for Conservation led him to get more involved in the community. Mr. Hoffman served on the Barrington plan commission and on the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals.
Mr. Hoffman also supported the work of the Boy Scouts and its mission of taking Scouts outdoors and camping. Family members say he was instrumental in getting land in Woodstock donated as a camp.
Besides his daughter, Mr. Hoffman is survived by his children: Mark (Maureen) Hoffman of Springfield; Lynn (Calvin) of Selah, Wash.; and Marcy (Kris) Ludington of Grayslake, and eight grandchildren.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 S. Brinker Road in Barrington Hills.