Dorothy Rider Pool’s legacy in the Lehigh Valley

From education and the arts to health care for the community, Dorothy Rider Pool’s influence lives on

For Women's History Month, the Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health will share the stories of women who have made a difference in the Lehigh Valley. One key person is Dorothy Rider Pool, wife of Leonard Parker Pool, and a woman whose interests and efforts have improved the lives of generations of area residents.

Watch this video to get to know Dorothy Rider Pool:

Described by her peers as graceful, charming and brilliant, Dorothy Rider Pool was a life partner of Leonard Parker Pool for 35 years. Educated from the University of Michigan, Dorothy later taught English in the Detroit Public Schools system. But before meeting her future husband and Air Products founder, her entrepreneurial mindset was nurtured. Charles Rider, Dorothy's father, owned a laundromat in Detroit often frequented by automobile industry workers at the height of the industrial revolution. 

In her years spent with Leonard, Dorothy was independent, intelligent and carried herself with an air of authority. But often behind closed doors, she was the emotional support for Leonard's enterprises, as the once young salesman continued to grow his endeavors.

In 1957, Mrs. Pool, along with her husband, established the Rider Pool Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to preserve Dorothy’s wishes and legacy to improve the quality of life in the community, build on the community's strengths, and to increase the community's capacity to serve the needs of all its citizens. As a teacher and an artist, she was also interested in education, aid to disadvantaged children, and the arts. Mrs. Pool supported her husband’s interest in the health of the region. 

As told by close friend and pastor the Rev. Robert J. Coll, many times Leonard turned to Dorothy for help and support with business problems, spending many nights sitting on the Pool's plush, imported living room carpet. 

She was the director of the Allentown YWCA, volunteered with the Lehigh County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and served as member of the Allentown branch for American Association of University Women. An eye for art, Dorothy Rider Pool also sponsored the Society of the Arts and served in a leadership role with the Allentown Art Museum. 

Together, Leonard and Dorothy valued the great outdoors and nature's positive impact on health. To this day, the Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary in Emmaus provides habitat for 136 bird species, and provides numerous trails accessible for hikers, trail runners and other passive recreational activities. This Women's History Month, we recognize Dorothy Rider Pool as an influential woman who impacted the quality of life in the Lehigh Valley.