Minutes of the Zone IV Business Meeting and Garden History and Design Meeting
Plainfield Country Club, Edison, New Jersey
May 9, 2012, 9:30-12:00noon
The Meeting was called to order by Milly King, Zone IV Chairman, GC of Princeton.
The Invocation was given by Tucker Trimble, GCA Zone IV Director, Plainfield GC.
In Memoriam was read by Tucker Trimble for Eleanor Muir Johnson, GC of Somerset Hills, who died June 6, 2011. Eleanor Johnson was a Horticulture Judge with a special interest in orchids and was awarded the Zone IV Horticulture Award in 1994.
A motion was made to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the last Zone IV Meeting in 2010 and was so moved.
Mandy Zachariades, President of the Plainfield GC, welcomed all to Plainfield and to the Zone IV Meeting, and introduced the Co-Chairmen, Mary Kent, Plainfield GC, and Tucker Trimble, Plainfield GC.
Introduction of GCA Guests by Anne Bigliani, Zone IV Vice-Chairman, GC of Englewood
Former GCA President:
Chris Willemsen, GC of Morristown, Zone IV
GCA Executive Officers:
Katie Heins, GCA First Vice President, Stony Brook GC, Zone IV
Susan Levy, GCA Vice President, Stony Brook GC, Zone IV
Katie Stewart, GCA Vice President, New Canaan GC, Zone II
Zone Directors:
Marguerite Borden, Zone I Director, Cohasset GC
Jane Moore, Zone V Director, The Gardeners
Kathy Stradar, Zone III Director, GC of Orange and Dutchess Counties
Zone Chairmen:
Fleur Ruechert, Zone II, Fairfield GC
National Committee Program Chairman
Kathy Andrews, Plainfield GC, Zone IV
National Committee Vice Chairmen, Garden History and Design
Mary Kent, Plainfield GC, Zone IV
GCA Nominating Committee
Leslie Purple, Wissahickon GC, Zone V Rep
Introduction of GCA First Vice President, Katie Heins, by Milly King.
Katie Heins read opening remarks from Marian Hill, President of GCA, who reflected on the history and accomplishments of the 12 garden clubs of Zone IV. Katie Heins
thanked all of the Zone IV clubs for their contributions to GCA.
GCA Centennial Update was made by Chris Willemsen, who introduced the Centennial Committee:
Pam Jeanes, GC of Somerset Hills, Zone IV Centennial Committee Rep [in abstentia]
Jane Moore, Zone V Director
Leslie Purple, Co-chair of GCA 2013 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia with Laura Gregg
Announcements from the Centennial Committee
1. Thanks to Liz Ellwood, GC of Rumson, there is a GCA Daffodil available from Brent and Becky’s.
2. Annual GCA Meeting scarf celebrating the Centennial is available for sale online and at the meeting.
3. The 2013 Annual Meeting Flower Show Hort division will include the GCA Daffodil and will be an unlimited class.
4. There are Centennial commemorative items for sale including gold and silver acorn jewelry, a Tiffany glass bowl, and a Centennial history book, The Garden Club of America 1913-2013: A Growing Legacy by William Seale.
5. GCA has received over $500,000 from all clubs in donations toward the 2013 GCA Centennial Founders Fun Project in Central Park, and Zone IV was the first zone to have 100% of its clubs contribute.
6. More than 10,000 GCA Daffodils have been planted at the Garden Conservancy Gate.
7. The official dedication of the 2013 Founders Fund Projects is 6/3/13.
Sally Solmssen, Summit GC, Chairmen of the NJ Committee of the GCA, reported on the upcoming 25 Year Celebration Fund Raiser and Luncheon for September, 2012. She reminded everyone that the committee was established at the suggestion of Millicent Johnson, Rumson GC.
The projects funded this year by the NJ Committee include
1. The Glenmont Greenhouse at Thomas Edison Nat’l Historic Park, “warm water” project by the GC of the Oranges
2. Morven Kitchen Gardens restoration and support of summer interns from Isles of Trenton, by GC of Princeton
3. Living Collection of Freeman Winners at Reeves Reed Arboretum, by Rumson GC
The NJ Committee has donated $320,000 to GC projects in Zone IV and $50,000 in scholarships to summer interns.
Mary Lewis, GC of Madison, Zone IV Admissions Rep, gave the Admissions Committee report.
She noted the Marin GC was admitted as a new GC and she reported
four new Honorary GCA Members:
1.Michael Dirr, “one of the most influential figures in American horticulture”
2.Evelyn Patti Moore Magee, original board member of the Garden Conservancy and founder of the Charleston Horticultural Society and the Low Country Garden Club
3.Elvin McDonald, founder of the Goxinia Society and Director of the Des Moines Botanical Garden
4. John Tschirch, Director of Museum Affairs and Architectural Historian of the Preservation Society of Newport County and instrumental in reviving the Newport Flower Show.
Milly King then introduced the Zone IV Presidents who introduced their delegates and gave their reports, “Rooted in Thyme: Hort or History…..As You Like It”.
Photos of Zone IV garden club members’ activities were projected during the presentations.
1997 GC of Madison: Ruth Kerkeslager, President; Laura Hardin, Delegate
1945 Stony Brook GC: Andrea Meyercord, President; Alice St.Claire-Long, Delegate
1944 Plainfield GC: Mandy Zachariades, President; Susan Fraser, Delegate
1923 GC of the Oranges: Krista Moshier, President; Suzanne Guariglia, Delegate
1923 GC of Englewood: Diane Majeski, President; Pam Williams, Delegate
1920 Summit GC: Mary Jewett, President; Marite’ Robinson, Delegate
1917 GC of Morristown: Debra Chambliss, President; Kathy Seabrook, Delegate
1913 Rumson GC: Robin Colman, President; Megan Schwarzkopf, Delegate
1915 GC of Somerset Hills: Lisa Reed, President; Eleanor Diemar, Delegate
1913 GC of Trenton: Carol Lipson, President; Janet Laughlin, Delegate
*1913 GC of Princeton: Avril Moore, President; Barbara Morrison, Delegate
*1913 Short Hills GC: Suzanne Sayia, President; Kathy Melligon, Delegate
*GCA Founding Member Clubs
Mary Kent, Vice Chair, Garden History and Design and
Cathy McGraw, Short Hills GC, Zone IV Garden History and Design Rep gave the GCA Garden History and Design report
-The Garden History and Design Committee is the “Fourth leg of the stool of the GCA”
- Zone IV has 268 gardens in the GCA Collection.
-The Committee requests that every Zone IV garden club document a garden (that has not been documented since 2005) for the 2013 Centennial.
Mary Kent introduced the Garden History and Design speaker, Marta McDowell, GC of Madison, garden historian, author, and teacher, whose lecture, Founding Mothers, highlighted many of Zone IV’s earliest clubs and members including
Caroline Rose Foster and her home in Morristown, The Willows,
Helena Rutherford Ely, who wrote A Woman’s Hardy Garden and built the “Temple of Abiding Peace” in her garden and her home “Topside” in Morristown,
Henrietta Stout of Short Hills,
Mrs. Arthur Decker, First Pres. of GC of NJ in 1925,
Mrs. William Cross, Pres. of the NY Horticultural Society, grew up at Bellefield, landscaped by
B. Farrand, and later lived in Bernardsville,
Martha Brooks Hutchison, who wrote “The Spirit of the Gardener” and studied landscape
design at MIT and later lived at Bamboo Brook,
Margaret Bassett of Beacon Hill,
Ellen Biddle Shipman who designed Reeves Reed Arboretum.
Martha Sword, GC of Princeton, Zone IV Scholarship Rep announced that
scarves and ties, leftover from the GCA Zone IV Annual Meeting from 2010, are for sale and all proceeds go to the NJ Committee Scholarship funds.
Meeting broke for refreshments
Martha Sword introduced the Scholarship Speaker,
Matthew Minder, recipient of a NJ Committee summer internship scholarship, who gave a speech entitled, “The Good, The Bad and The Bugly”, about teaching entomology to children at summer camp. Minder and fellow counselors established a different nature theme every week for the children. Minder learned to love nature thru this internship, was able to support himself with this internship, and felt this internship was a confidence booster through public speaking. He cited “As You Like It” with a quote “..and good in everything.” as illustrative of his experience in the summer internship.
Announcements by Mary Kent, Tucker Trimble
Bag Lunch for bus, water bottle for bus, Rutgers Garden for tour, Rutgers Plant Sale, Shakespeare Garden tour, return by 4:00pm
Meeting adjourned by Milly King for garden tours.
Minutes of the Zone IV GCA Committee Discussions and Horticulture Meeting
Plainfield Country Club, Edison, New Jersey
May 10, 2012, 9:15AM-12:00 noon
The meeting was called to order by Milly King, Zone IV Chairman at 9:15AM
“What is a Zone Rep?”
Susan Levy, Stony Brook GC, GCA Vice President, explained the duties a Zone Rep .Our 14 Zone IV Reps represent every Zone IV club on GCA National Committees, and the Reps attend every National Committee Meeting. The Zone Rep is the go-between between the club and the national level. She takes concerns and news from the clubs to the national level and from the national level to the clubs.
“What is the Nominating Zone Rep?”
Katie Downes, GC of Englewood, Zone IV Nominating Rep, explained that the National Nominating Committee has 12 Zone Reps. The Committee puts together the slate of officers and directors voted on at each Annual Meeting. The Committee assembles names for Reps for each Zone. The names are contributed from the clubs. Katie thanked the clubs for their input, and
she announced the incoming Zone IV Officers and Reps for 2012.
Incoming Zone IV Officers and Reps for 2012
Anne Gates, Director, Stony Brook GC
Anne Bigliani, Chairman, GC of Englewood
Robin Colman, Vice-Chairman, Rumson GC
Admissions, Linda Seelbach, Short Hills GC
Awards, Laura Hardin, GC of Madison
Bulletin, Jeanne Shanley, Rumson GC
Conservation/NAL, Betsy Uhlman, GC of Madison
Judging, Lisa Gadsden, Short Hills GC
Founders Fund, Judy Tucci, GC of Englewood
Garden History and Design, Mary Kent, Plainfield GC, National Chairman
Lynn Filipski, Short Hills GC, Zone IV Rep
Horticulture, Karen Jones, Summit GC
Program, Darby Scott, Morristown, GC
PR/Communications, Martha Sword, GC of Princeton
Scholarship, Mandy Zachariades, Plainfield GC
Visiting Gardens, Cecilia Mathews, GC of Princeton
Nominating, Tucker Trimble, Plainfield GC
Flower Show, Katie Downes, GC of Englewood
Zone Reps Round Table Discussion was then conducted by Milly King : A “Shotgun
Tournament” which was designed to take the presidents and delegates and guests on a “round of 8 holes”, each “hole” being a Rep’s table.
-Each Zone Rep hosted a numbered table for a round of conversation regarding the committee’s roles and responsibilities at the club, zone, and national levels. Zone Reps had props, hats, computers, candy, literature, signs, scarves, posters, books, or whatever they needed to help illustrate or describe their committees’ functions.
-Each president, delegate and guest had a number on the back of her name badge identifying her
starter table.
-Each round of discussion lasted 8-10 minutes, the end of which was noted by a bell rung at the podium by Milly King. At the sound of the bell, each group moved to the next consecutive table.
-Zone Reps and Tables by number are listed below:
COMMITTEE ZONE REPRESENTATIVE
#1 Communications Nancy Farley, GC of the Oranges
#2 Bulletin Laura Hanson, Stony Brook GC
#3 Program Jeanne Shanley, Rumson GC
#4 Scholarship Martha Sword, GC of Princeton
#5 Founders Fund Lynn Filipski, Short Hills GC
#6 Conservation/NAL Pam Mayer, GC of the Oranges
#7 Visiting Gardens Cynnie Kellogg, Short Hills GC
#8 2013 Centennial Committee Chris Willemsen, Katie Stewart, Leslie Purple
The Horticulture Report was given by Diane Guidone, Rumson GC, Zone IV Horticulture Rep. She reported on the Freeman Medal Award Project of Zone IV which she initiated in Oct 2010 to celebrate the GCA Centennial. The Collection is located in Summit, NJ, at the Reeves- Reed Arboretum. It was started with a donation from each Zone IV club and is continuing with matching funds from the NJ Committee. All of the zone-hardy Freeman winners will be incorporated into garden settings at the arboretum. The first phase will be completed before the Centennial celebration. Reeves-Reed will maintain and add to the collection, and there are plans for establishing cell phone tours of the collection.
Diane Guidone then introduced the Horticulture speaker, Doug Tallamy, PhD, Professor of Entomology, University of Delaware. His speech was titled “Why Do I Want Insects In My Garden?” He wrote Bringing Nature Home about bringing wildlife into the garden and discussed biodiversity losses, making landscapes sustainable, species diversity, the relation between plant and animal diversity, and how plants sustain the carrying capacity of animal populations through food and shelter. The message was that by using more native plants, by reducing lawns and by sharing suburbia with wildlife, we can build a balanced community. Dr Tallamy ended his speech with two messages-1.that we need to build a balanced community in nature and 2.the quote by an unknown author “Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow”.
Announcement was made of the Zone IV gift to the delegates and visitors, the Iris ‘Alice Harding’. Alice Harding was a horticulturalist and a member of the Plainfield Garden Club. The iris was developed in France.
An invitation to the 2014 Zone IV Meeting was extended to all by Garden Club of Englewood Zone Meeting Chair, Judy Tucci, and members of the steering committee, Diane Majeski, Katie Downes, and Anne Bigliani.
Meeting adjourned for The Awards Luncheon.
Respectfully submitted, May 30, 2012
Anne Bigliani, Garden Club of Englewood
Zone IV Vice Chairman