A message from Wendy Tucker, founder and Board Member, Shulgin Foundation

In 2023, seven months after my mom died, a friend introduced me to Peter Vitale as someone who could help me to achieve the dream of preserving the Shulgin Farm. I met with Peter on the phone, and we talked many, many times about all the possibilities and the ways that this goal could be achieved. Peter’s enthusiasm and his energy for this project were not only infectious but also a big support for me during a time that was difficult, not just because my mother had just passed, but also because I was taking on this huge endeavor and I had no idea how to go about it. Peter did a lot of deep dives into the Shulgins and into all of the ways that this legacy could be preserved. In a short time he helped mobilize a lot of supporters, and over the past two years has been a major force in spreading the word about the Shulgin Foundation and our efforts to preserve the Shulgin Farm.

When Peter started coming to the farm and inviting people it was hard for the existing community. “Who is this Peter guy? And who are all these new people?” they would say. I understood the sentiment, and I had also seen this happen time and time again with Friday night dinners and parties at the farm while Mom and Sasha were alive. New people would come in, the old guard would say “Who are these new people?” and some would stop coming. It was a cycle that was repeated many times over the years.

I understand how some people in the community felt skeptical about Peter. Some asked, “Who is he to help carry on this legacy?” But one must step back and look at what we have achieved, all that has been built, to understand that this just couldn’t have happened without new people coming into the Shulgin community. It was a very difficult thing that we achieved: creating the nonprofit, building a team, spreading the word as far and wide as we have, creating the programs that we’ve been doing at the farm, creating the energy that has been instrumental in getting the funding we need just to make it to where we are now. It all comes from the humble beginnings of working with Peter, and the tremendous effort that he put into all of this. I am so grateful to have had his support and thought partnership over these past years.

Peter’s energy and enthusiasm and the love he has for the farm and this legacy has been a huge inspiration for me, and for many, many people that he has connected to the Shulgin Foundation. His support in the beginning, when it was just the two of us trying to make it happen, was so important and I am eternally and wholeheartedly grateful. Peter is not going away, but he is transitioning away from the foundation to focus on matters of the family trust.

As a team – the nonprofit and the trust – we are making sure that all of our ducks are in a row, and that what we are doing is done right. So Peter’s transition is part of that endeavor. I am transitioning out of the foundation as the executive director as well, for similar reasons, as I mentioned in my recent post. Making way for the new, honoring what has been done, and hoping for a very bright future for Mom and Sasha’s legacy.

I hope that those who are reading this, that have been part of the community for a long time, and have wondered, “Who is this Peter guy?” will understand that he has been an incredible ally, and is still an ally of this endeavor and this legacy.

Wendy Tucker