Anne & Doug Albrecht to Receive Forest Park Forever’s Leffingwell Award
Doug and Anne Albrecht stand on the boardwalk at the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape in Forest Park.
Anne O’Connell Albrecht has cherished visits to Forest Park since she was a child, enjoying serene time on the water with her father as well as trips to the Zoo, The Muny, Planetarium and Art Museum.
Her husband, Doug, remembers his first visit to Forest Park at The Muny in the heat of summer, “a new experience for this Minnesota boy.”
Together, the Albrechts have been among the community leaders ensuring that Forest Park continues to inspire memories and great experiences today and for generations of visitors to come.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, the Albrechts will be honored with the Leffingwell Award during Forest Park Forever’s celebration of the Leffingwell Society. The private, nonprofit conservancy bestows the Leffingwell Award annually to a corporation, foundation or individuals who have made a significant contribution of time, talent or resources to the restoration and maintenance of Forest Park.
“It’s our honor to celebrate Anne and Doug on a night when we gather with so many generous supporters of Forest Park Forever,” said President and Executive Director Lesley S. Hoffarth. “Their steadfast support for Forest Park’s restoration and improvements has ensured that it remains a place of joy and wonder for 15.5 million annual visitors.”
Anne’s name is attached to the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape, a 17-acre outdoor space established with their family foundation’s lead gift early in the Forever campaign. The Playscape enables visitors, especially children, to connect with nature and engage their senses as they explore, discover and learn in nine distinct activity areas. The Albrechts helped envision a very special type of play experience for kids of all abilities, and today the Playscape is among the amenities that makes Forest Park unique among urban parks.
But the Albrechts’ support and leadership in Forest Park goes beyond those 17 acres and traces back well before the Playscape’s opening in 2021.
A co-founder and partner of JR Zachary Design LLC, Anne is a past member of Forest Park Forever’s board of directors and its executive committee. In two separate terms on the board, she helped grow the Leffingwell Society and was part of the Forever campaign cabinet. Her volunteer activities in our region have also included board service or other leadership with many organizations, including the Quin and Amy Snyder Foundation Board, the Rossman School, John Burroughs School, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, March of Dimes, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Missouri State Parks, St. Louis Sports Commission, the Junior League of St. Louis and the Sign of the Arrow.
Currently chairman of the Bodley Group, Doug previously retired as chairman, president and chief executive of Centric Group. In addition to his service to Forest Park, he, too, has lent his time to many other organizations benefiting the St. Louis region. He is co-founder and the former chair of the St. Louis Police Foundation, and he currently serves on the Quin and Amy Snyder Foundation board. He’s also a past chair of the Regional Business Council and the St. Louis Sports Commission and past co-chair of the United Way Campaign and of St. Louis Children’s Hospital Building for Care, Searching for Cures campaign.
Anne and Doug are both alumni of the University of Missouri, where they met, and have since celebrated over 50 years of marriage, three sons, eight grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and countless contributions to the St. Louis community.
About Forest Park Forever
Founded in 1986, Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that partners with the City of St. Louis to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America's great urban public parks for a diverse community of visitors to enjoy, now and forever.
Forest Park Forever has led major fundraising efforts to restore and transform many landmark destinations in Forest Park, including Emerson Grand Basin, the Boathouse and the Jewel Box, while creating new spaces that draw more of the community to Forest Park like the Anne O'C. Albrecht Nature Playscape and the Nicholas J. Booker Basketball Courts. In 2024, Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis renewed their innovative public-private partnership for the next 20 to 30 years, continuing a shared commitment to sustain Forest Park for all to enjoy.
Today, Forest Park Forever maintains Forest Park with the City of St. Louis; raises funds for and helps manage capital restoration projects called for in the Forest Park Master Plan; delivers experiential educational opportunities to teachers, students and adults; and provides information and guides for the Park’s 15.5 million annual visitors. Not part of the Zoo-Museum Tax District, Forest Park Forever is supported by private donations from throughout the community, including over 6,000 members, 1,100 volunteers and many leading community and corporate partners.
Connect with us at facebook.com/forestparkforever, x.com/forestpark4ever, instagram.com/forestparkforever and on LinkedIn.