Success Story: Tom Sykes

   The land where Tom Sykes has lived most of his life, just south of US-70 in Haw River, has been in his family for centuries. When Tom is not running his own insurance agency in Haw River, he is on the land. He raises everything there, from grapes to guineas. He can recite the dozens of Native American artifacts he has found on his land, and easily recalls stories of playing in the Haw as a child. With so much history and so many memories stored in one place, Tom could be forgiven for fencing off his property from the outside world.

Yet when Tom Sykes was approached about donating a trail easement for the Haw River Trail, he didn’t think twice. He didn’t have time to. He said yes in the first 30 seconds. Tom explained that his only interest was in sharing what he had, and in giving others the opportunity to experience the land, and the river, that had given him so much.

The decision to grant a trail easement is not an easy one for many people. Landowners often imagine their land as a private retreat, and have often never considered allowing people they may not even know pass through it. But Tom Sykes is an example of the spirit of sharing that is driving the Haw River Trail.  His donation is a testament to the ability of the land to serve as a link to the past, and to others.  He is also another example of how the Haw River Trail is bringing us closer to our river, and closer to our community.