By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Lester “Rusty” Nelson was known to people in the area for his good humor, hard work and efforts to save Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse in South Portland from uncertain fate.

Now, people throughout the country will know about his efforts as well.

A South Portland resident, Nelson died Jan. 5 at age 80.

The February issue of The Keeper’s Log, the official publication of the United States Lighthouse Society, was dedicated to Nelson.

 “I don’t know what would have happened to the lighthouse if he wasn’t there,” said Bill Berman, chairman of the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust.  “It’s a lot better off because he was around.”  

Lighthouse Society President Wayne Wheeler wrote an open letter in tribute to Nelson in The Keeper’s Log.

“We will miss Rusty as a good friend and for his outstanding work, his sense of humor, and his dedication to lighthouse preservation. Our keeper’s hat is doffed to Lester “Rusty” Nelson. Fair winds and following seas, my friend,” Wheeler wrote.

The lighthouse society is located in Hansville, Wash.

When the United States Coast Guard decided to transfer ownership of all Maine lighthouses to nonprofits in the 1990s, Nelson spearheaded formation of the trust to secure control of the South Portland lighthouse.

“He was the driving force. Rusty was the heart and soul of the whole operation,” Berman said.

With the help of Bill Alexander, former director of the city’s public library, and others, Nelson created the trust that took over the lighthouse in 1998.

Nelson was the group’s first chairman and served in that capacity for five years. He remained an active member until his death, Berman said.

Under Nelson’s direction, the trust decided early that its mission had two primary objectives: maintenance and restoration and providing public access. 

Following Nelson’s leadership, the trust has been successful in both areas. During the past 12 years, the group has made several major improvements to the lighthouse including replacing the canopy, furnishing the rooms with period pieces from 1897 to 1934 and painting.

Members were recruited, docents were trained, permits were secured and money was raised thanks to Nelson’s efforts and leadership.

Berman said one of Nelson’s best ideas was to open the lighthouse to the public on Saturdays in the summer. This year, the trust hopes to expand the public openings to Sundays. 

Inside the lighthouse, visitors can walk around levels one through four which include the kitchen, the head keeper’s quarters, assistant keeper’s quarters and the watch room.

The assistant keeper’s quarters on the third level are used as a display room that shows the lighthouse’s history.

  Following his retirement from the advertising business, Nelson moved from New York to Maine in 1995 with his wife, Patti Nelson.

“He just loved Maine. When he retired, this is where he wanted to be,” Patti said.  

Nelson acquired an interest in lighthouses at an early age, she said.  His family used to spend summers in Bristol where he became fascinated with Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

“He read a lot. He was very inquisitive and he talked to a lot of people,” Patti said. “He loved the history of them, the lenses and the technicalities. He loved the beauty of them and the fact that they’re part of world history.”

Eventually, Nelson became one of the leading experts on lighthouses in the U.S., Berman said.

“He knew every lighthouse in the country,” Berman said. “He knew when it was built. He knew the kind of lens it had. He knew what its purpose was. That was his hobby and his passion.”

Nelson and his wife joined the national lighthouse society and spent 20 years participating in bus tours of lighthouses across the United States. He was particularly fond of lighthouses in Oregon, Michigan and the coast of Maine, Patti said.  But his favorite was Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse.

“That’s his favorite. That’s his love. He was very devoted to it,” Patti said.

 Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.