May 5, 2005
Evergreens employee brings Nipper to life
Newsweekly

By Diane Fuhrer

Chicago had its cows. Charleston had its doors. New Mexico had its ponies. And now, thanks to Virginia Devery, Moorestown will have its Nippers.

Devery, the director of development for the Evergreens, was charged with planning something special for the retirement community's 85th anniversary.

Devery had seen the Cows on Parade exhibit in Zurich. Other Evergreens staff members saw the cows in Chicago. An arts and business summit in South Jersey put all the pieces together for Devery.

"That's where it all gelled," she said. "A woman from South Carolina was talking about the Palmetto trees that had been painted. They raised money and attracted funding."

Devery had to come up with something that people would associate with both the Evergreens and Moorestown.

Enter Nipper, the ever-faithful fox terrier and the world's most recognizable trademark.

When she realized how big an undertaking the project would be, Devery reached out to other non-profits in Moorestown.

"I thought about what would make sense," she said. The partners - the Lutheran Home, the Community House, the Historical Society and Perkins Center for the Arts - were all appropriate for the project for their own reasons. The Lutheran Home was once home to Eldridge Johnson. The Community House was a gift to Moorestown from Johnson. The Evergreens is the site of Johnson's son's home. The Historical Society and the Perkins Center added the history and art aspects of the project.

And so, in 2003, the project began.

Devery, who has been with the Evergreens for 10 years, first had to sell the idea to sponsors. Lockheed Martin, formerly RCA, was first on board. The partners formed a committee and continued to see sponsors. Nipper, however, has made the job easy.

"That dog is a great marketing tool," Devery said. "It's been amazing to see people's reactions, whether it's a business or a resident. It (Nipper) makes people happy."

Devery, who was a history major in college, learned a lot about the company and Eldridge Johnson during her research for the project.

She has found that many people collect Nipper memorabilia and that statues of Nipper can be found in interesting places.

Like the Baltimore train station.

"RCA made models and would send them to stores selling RCA products," Devery said.

But the biggest lesson Devery has learned is how eager people are to help.

"I've talked to other organizations that have done this sort of project," she said. "And no matter who I called, they were willing to help."

She also has praise for the local committee, which has worked long and hard to bring this project to fruition.

"This is the first time local non-profits are working together. This will set a model for the future," Devery said.

"The committee has been phenomenal. I have been so impressed with the volunteers who are serving on the committee. They are so dedicated to this project."

With the statues debut approaching, Devery has been busy gathering donors, who for $50 and up, can receive a Nipper 2005 decal and two tickets for the June 5 preview party.

From there, the Nippers will find their way to the streets of Moorestown and be on display through mid-September.

They will be auctioned Oct. 9 at the Moorestown Mall.

©Newsweekly 2005