The Chester County Historical Society issued a statement on Monday morning to announce that their president, Rob Lukens, passed away on Aug. 1 after a long battle with cancer.

“Rob became our president in 2011,” the statement read, “although his association with the Chester County Historical Society began in 1993, over 20 years ago, when Rob helped catalog, pack, and move museum objects as a volunteer during his undergraduate studies. Later, he was an intern at CCHS and then became our collections manager in 1998. Rob left CCHS in 2003 to become the head of collections at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. His career then took him to Historic Yellow Springs and the United States Capitol Visitors Center before bringing him back to the Historical Society, ready to lead the institution that he loved so much.

“Rob brought passion and a commitment to share Chester County's history with the community beyond the walls of CCHS,” the statement read. “He initiated a regular column in the Daily Local News, a weekly radio program on WCHE, and the extremely popular 'History on Tap' series. His leadership brought much needed upgrades to our facilities and continuing plans for their improvement. Throughout his illness, he remained committed to CCHS, especially in developing plans for our new permanent exhibition.

“George Zumbano, chair of the CCHS Board of Trustees, said that "Rob Lukens made an indelible mark on the Chester County Historical Society. It was a pleasure and an honor to work with him. His enthusiasm for our region's history was contagious, and he brought a level of professional expertise that helped us move forward in innovative ways."

Zumbano has announced that David B. Reinfeld, who has served as acting president of CCHS for the last two years, has been named interim president.

Memorial contributions may be made to Chester County Historical Society, 225 N. High St., West Chester, PA 19380; or to the educational funds which have been established for Abbie and Finn through DNB Investments & Insurance. For information on making contributions to the educational funds, contact DNB Investments & Insurance at 484-359-3583.