CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council passed a resolution March 7 to allow the placement of the city seal and insignia on a brick proposed to honor the memory of former Mayor Frank Gauvry. The brick is part of a personalized brick fundraising program at the Washington Street Mall.
Gauvry’s daughter, Beatrice Pessagno, who is a past member of the city’s governing body, thanked council members for honoring her father’s memory at the meeting. Gauvry passed away in 2011.
Honoring Gauvry in the Washington Street Mall brick program carries special meaning since he, as mayor, saw the advantage of federal urban renewal funding and pushed for the building of the mall against significant opposition.
The efforts of Gauvry and a group of preservationists centered at the Emlen Physick Estate helped pave the way for the effort to create a Victorian-themed town. Gauvry served as mayor between 1964 and 1972.
