May 11, 2022

This article was originally published in our summer 2022 newsletter, View 630'.

Jane and Dwight Hardin have been longtime supporters of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, joining as Eero Saarinen Society (ESS) members in 2019 and attending nearly all fundraising and community events since. 

Dwight, a U.S. Army veteran and schoolteacher originally from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, moved to St. Louis to go to law school, together with his wife Jane, a fellow educator, from Kentucky. 

After becoming a mediator, Dwight opened a mediation/ arbitration practice in St. Louis and continues to practice to this day at 77 years old. Jane is a professional volunteer and has served the community through nonprofit involvement and on boards for decades. 

In June they celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. Because of Covid, they never properly celebrated their 50th, so they’re planning to revive the celebrations this year at the Arch. 

We caught up with Jane and Dwight to talk about what Gateway Arch National Park means to them and why they support the Foundation’s mission. 

Why do you support the Foundation? 

D: We support the Foundation because we love the Arch. When we have out-of-town people coming in to visit us, we take them to the Arch. I have been in foreign countries on vacation and always wear my Cardinals cap. I’m always bumping into people who can’t speak English, and I can’t speak any foreign languages, but we always wind up figuring out ‘where are you from?’ I point to my cap, and invariably they will do this [tracing the shape of the Arch in the air]; it doesn’t matter what country they’re from. 

Most of my career was spent on a plane. Regardless of how hard a trip I’d had or how bad the weather was or how terrible the flight might’ve been, when we began approaching St. Louis and I could see the Arch, I knew I had made it, and my troubles were over. I’ve always thought, as soon as I can see the Arch, I know I’m home. I’d always say to myself, ‘I defied gravity one more time.’ 

J: We got an invitation to a Foundation event; we were curious and just decided we’d come. It was a wonderful dinner opening the new museum, I believe. 

D: The transformation! That wasn’t even the same museum. It was just so elegantly done. We’ve been out to the Blues concert, too. 

J: And the Fourth of July event [hosted in the Foundation office for ESS members]. You had such a commanding view and a catered event, it was just delightful! 

D: When they [Foundation staff] see you walk through the door, they make you feel welcome. You keep improving the Arch, and it seems like the long-term projects and goals are important. 

J: And how many organizations have someone like Ryan [McClure] who delivered our Picnic baskets to our home? I was still recovering from heart surgery, and he sat with us and we had a nice visit. That showed he has good leadership skills, and those are paying off for the Foundation. 

What are some of your favorite Arch memories? 

J: We remember way back when the Arch grounds were entirely different, we would come down and there would be St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts under the Arch. There would be the Fair, and Ray Charles performed, and people you’d never heard of. The fireworks were unbelievable — so much larger when you’re down here; I think they made special ones. The Balloon Glow, the balloons always tried to make it around the Arch, and we’d always come down and watch. 

D: We wouldn’t miss it. This was where we wanted to be. Those are the reasons we just fell in love with the Arch. 

J: We’re not native St. Louisans; this is our adopted hometown of 44 years. But you feel like you should support your hometown. 

On Arch views… 

J: It’s really cool to see the Arch from a train on Amtrak; it’s a totally different perspective. And from the Becky Thatcher. It’s always changing with your perspective.

D: I’ve had four offices in St. Louis, and all had Arch front views: not just Arch views — I wanted the Arch front, I insisted on it being high, because I’m going to spend a bigger part of my life in those offices. That’s the first thing I told the people who were finding properties for me, I want to look at the Arch every day. 

J: And he did. 

D: And I probably paid way too much money for that. 

J: But there, too, is another perspective. You get up in the Met Square Building and you look down and you can see all the paths. You can’t see the pattern of the paths when you’re walking on them. All the paths and trees are really interesting when you see the seasons change. 

Why would you encourage others to get involved in park stewardship? 

D: We have this discussion every year. Jane will always say, ‘What checks are we going to write this year?’ My rule of thumb is I like to support things where everybody can attend, particularly if it’s free. There’s no admission fee; everyone can just enjoy it. And we love helping organizations where everybody’s welcome. 

J: That’s one of our top requirements. 

D: If it’s an opportunity for people to participate in anything around the riverfront or Arch, it’s available to everybody — that’s my number one rule. Of course sometimes there’s got to be a ticket involved, but generally speaking. 

J: If you make it where children grow up playing on the grounds of the Arch, then they’ll bring their children. That’s what makes a good city. The Gateway Arch makes St. Louis a better city. 

D: That’s what I like about it. I like to see everybody feel like it’s theirs.