2021 Winter Shaggy Sheet

Creating A Lasting Legacy
EUNICE J. GARDINER CAMPUS
Eunice Joyce Gardiner (1928-2011)
Born in London, Eunice was a noted British model
with striking red hair, ivory skin and brilliant green
eyes. At age 22, she married William Pitt Oakes, son of
a self-made mining millionaire. Following his death,
she traveled and studied art and architecture in the
United States and abroad.
Eunice met Robert David Lion Gardiner in Palm
Beach in 1961 and they were married for more than
40 years. Robert Gardiner was the 16th Lord of the
Manor of Gardiner’s Island in Suffolk County, Long
Island, and a descendant of Lion Gardiner who
acquired Gardiner’s Island in 1639 by a Royal Grant.
It is still the oldest privately owned island in the
United States.
Eunice passed away in 2011. Prior to her death, she
quietly planned to make a gift that would set the stage
for the next chapter of animal welfare in Palm Beach
County. It wasn’t until 2013 that Peggy Adams Animal
Rescue League was informed that Eunice, inspired
by her love of animals, had created a perpetual trust
to benefit the animals of our community and the lost,
abandoned and injured, in particular. Mrs. Gardiner’s
visionary gift ensured that Peggy Adams would not
only continue its lifesaving work for generations to
come, but also expand its programs to impact and
save the lives of more animals than ever before.
Thanks to Mrs. Gardiner’s generosity, the Board of
Directors of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League
began the process of planning for a campus expansion
highlighted by the opening of the Lesly S. Smith Pet
Adoption Center in 2021.
In recognition of Mrs. Gardiner’s vision and
compassion, the 13.5-acre Peggy Adams campus was
renamed the Eunice J. Gardiner Campus.
For more information on giving
opportunities, please contact
Kati Erickson, CAP®,
Director of Development
and Marketing at
K.Erickson@PeggyAdams.org
or 561-472-8576.
22 Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League