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Eloise Payne Luquer Medal:
Lily Y. Beck, Pleasant Valley, New York
When Dr. Lily Beck published her translation of Pedanius Dioscorides’ De materia medica from Greek into English in 2005, the first complete translation in English of one of the most influential books of the ancient world finally became more accessible to scholars.
De materia medica, “On medical materials,” was written in the 1st century AD. Thisseminal ancient herbal treatise has been in continual use as a working reference formedical, botanical, and pharmacological information, explaining the sources, preparations, and uses of medicinal materials, including 600 plants. Four extensive indexes (plants, animals, minerals, medicine) offer an easy access to the text. And scholars, doctors, and scientists across the country and abroad agree that Dr. Beck’s translation is also a resource for social history with its description of how life appeared and how it was lived in ancient times.
Dr. Beck pursued her early education in Greece, followed by studies in Toulouse and Paris. She received her B.A. degree from Wellesley, a Master of Education degree from Boston University, and a Master of Classics from Vassar. She earned her Ph.D. at the State University of New York at Albany, after which she taught at Vassar.
Beck spent ten years of scholarly effort on this translation, fueled by her love of academia, horticulture, botany and classics. In 2008, Dr. Beck presented an illustrated talk about De materia medica to her fellow members of the Millbrook Garden Club. What might at first appear to be a very dry subject was brought alive in a most amusing way by her clever insights and understanding of the text, the 1st century and the lives of the ancients. As Dr. Beck noted, Dioscorides had a cure for almost everything!
Frances K. Hutchinson Medal:
Stuart Conway, Fort Collins, Colorado
Stuart Conway established Trees, Water & People (TWP) in Colorado in 1998. The mission: to meet the challenges facing our environment. The goal: to preserve healthy forests and clean water while sustaining communities' everyday needs.
Mr. Conway graduated from Colorado College and received a master’s degree in Professional Studies in International Development from Cornell University. He served four years in the Peace Corps in Guatemala and has published many articles and trained many like-minded conservationists.
Currently, Trees, Water & People has five major focus areas: forest-saving stove building, reforestation, tribal lands renewable energy, watershed health, and environmental education. For example, the Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program puts the power of nature–the warmth of the sun, the power of the wind, the shelter of the trees–to work for Native Americans. Working within the respective reservations,TWP plants windbreak and shelter trees and builds and installs supplemental solar heaters for families in need. Now other tribes around the country are receiving hands-on training in renewable energy solutions and applications to help their own communities. The beauty of these solutions is that they are sustainable, economically beneficial, and environmentally friendly. In addition, they celebrate the Native Americans’ respect for Mother Earth.
Trees, Water & People succeeds because of domestic and international partnerships created in various locations such as El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti as well as the American West. Mr. Conway and Trees, Water & People have received numerous awards including the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy, the Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability, and the Sasakawa Award. TWP’s programs have also been featured on National Geographic Television, National Public Radio, and in the Christian Science Monitor.
Sarah Chapman Francis Award:
William Cullina, Boothbay, Maine
William G. Cullina is Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine, and past Nursery Director and Head Propagator at the New England Wild Flower Society. In addition, Bill is a world-renowned expert on plants native to North America, frequent lecturer, expert propagator and talented photographer.
Bill is also the author of five outstanding, award-winning books in which he shares a lifetime of experience propagating and growing plants, and it is for this literary achievement that The Garden Club of America honors him now. These works include: The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers ofthe United States and Canada (2000); Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants (2002), 2003 AHS Book Award Winner; Understanding Orchids: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World’s Most Exotic Plants (2004), 2004 AHS Book Award Winner; Native Ferns, Moss, and Grasses: From Emerald Carpet to Amber Wave: Serene and Sensuous Plants for the Garden (2008), 2009 AHS Book Award Winner. His most recent book is entitled Understanding Perennials: A New Look at an Old Favorite (2009).
Bill’s books are to be savored. The propagation and growing information in the appendices is unprecedented in its depth, and any serious propagator of our native species considers his books bibles on the subject. And, though it can’t be overstated how important each of these books is as a reference manual on propagating native plants, it is the extremely fine writing, laced with gentle humor and unforgettable imagery, all illustrated with his exceptional photography, that draws you in and gets you reading and re-reading Bill’s books, cover to cover—surely a literary achievement!
Margaret Douglas Medal:
Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Peninsula, Ohio
The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a 33,000 acre park along 22 miles of the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland. In 1974, with the help of John F. Seiberling (a GCA Hutchinson Medal award winner), Congress created the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, which in 2002 became a National Park.
The Conservancy draws its strength from its 2,600 members, volunteers, community supporters and advocates who enhance the park experience through educational programs, projects, events and fundraising.
The Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center is the premier program managed by the organization. The center draws more than 10,000 children a year to its innovative programs. The 500 acre campus is home to miles of trails, ponds, forests and meadows, 2 dormitories, a dining hall, labs, an art room and a library. The award-winning curriculum is regularly updated to incorporate current academic standards in all disciplines. Approximately $137,000 in yearly scholarships is provided for needy children, many of whom are transformed by the experience.
In addition to the education center, the Association oversees 2,500 park volunteers, sponsors over 300 concerts, art exhibits, festivals, lectures and dinners, handles park rentals and manages a campground. To accomplish this, the Conservancy raises $1 million annually in philanthropic grants and donations, organizes annual fundraisers, promotes membership, and operates two retail stores. It is currently spearheading a $10 million endowment campaign to ensure the future of the park.
The depth of the programming and fundraising has made this high-performance volunteer association a full-fledged partner with the national government in operating the Park.
Medal Of Honor:
Diana Fish, Carmel, California
Diana Fish is a superb gardener and horticulturist with great dedication to the educational mission of The Garden Club of America. Excelling both as an exhibitor and as an approved judge in horticulture and photography, she has been recognized by both her club and her zone.
In 2003, Diana and the Horticulture Committee founded the online journal, The Real Dirt. For seven years, Diana served as its editor. She created each issue with a balance of articles of interest to the wide range of GCA members. She included horticulture puzzles, articles about design, flower show tips, travel pieces and scholarly dissertations on a species or genus. She searched for garden club members to write these articles and found wonderful GCA photographers to provide many of the illustrations. While organizing the vast knowledge of those eager to share, she also coaxed fine articles from the reluctant. She expected each writer to be excellent, no matter her experience, and her patience and attention to detail made sure that this was so. Diana found a multitude of talents within the GCA. Along with this creative editorship, her meticulous checking of facts and nomenclature insured the consistent high quality of the publication.
All the while she was working as editor, Diana was an important member of the Horticulture Committee. She helped to develop the new Guide to Nomenclature as well as the 2013 GCA Centennial Tree Project. Even now, though no longer on the committee, she continues to help revise the Guide to Propagation.
Without Diana’s leadership and unselfish gifts of time and talent, The Real Dirt would not be what it is today.
Historic Preservation Medal:
Peter J. Hatch, Charlottesville, Virginia
Monticello, the only World Heritage Site home in North America, epitomizes the genius of Thomas Jefferson. Not only did he create this architectural masterpiece, but he also designed an extraordinarily beautiful and revolutionary landscape.
Mr. Hatch’s leadership at Monticello has been multi-faceted, and his accomplishments immeasurable. He co-founded with the University of Virginia the Historical Landscape Institute, had a leadership role in establishing the much-respected Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and the seed-list journal, Twin Leaf, was the project manager for the exquisite Thomas Jefferson Parkway, began the wildly popular Garden Tours and Saturdays in the Garden at Monticello and helped create Monticello’s fall Heritage Harvest Festival with its “farm to table” philosophy.
Peter is a past President of the Southern Garden History Society and a recipient of the Thomas Roland Medal from theMassachusetts Historical Society. He has helped the White House chef plant a kitchen garden using many of the seeds and plants from Monticello, and he has lectured across America. Mr. Hatch, a dedicated researcher as well as a true gardener, haswritten numerous scholarly books including The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello and The Gardens of Monticello. He has edited Thomas Jefferson’s Flower Garden at Monticello and will soon publish Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden.
Alice Waters of Chez Panisse has written of Peter Hatch: “His vibrant and enthusiastic passion for preserving Thomas Jefferson’s farming legacy at Monticello reminds us all of the time-tested continuity and historical root of this kind of agriculture—a pastoral and self-sufficient tradition at the very heart of American culture…. Peter J. Hatch’s efforts as a gardener of this stunningly beautiful and historically invaluable garden have ensured that we not forget the precious treasure passed down from this visionary Founding Father."
Distinguished Service Medal:
Kris Jarantoski, Glencoe, Illinois
During his more than 30 years at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Kris Jarantoski has left an indelible mark on the role played by botanic gardens in the lives of people in Chicago and around the world.
Kris was part of a small staff that built the Chicago Botanic Garden. He has been at the forefront of the transformation of barren and degraded land into one of the most beautiful, most visited and most esteemed public gardens in the world.
Since 1977 Kris Jarantoski has been the heart and soul of the 385-acre campus, which now enjoys nearly a million visitors a year, over 50,000 members, and thousands of students discovering the wonders of the plant world. With inspiration, dedication, determination and joy he has contributed in virtually every area – training of staff and creation of intern programs, security, horticultural therapy, building and documenting plant collections, science, horticulture and garden display. He was named Executive Vice President and Director of the Garden in 2001.
Through Kris' numerous contributions, the Garden has grown into a world leader in plant conservation research and one ofAmerica’s finest teaching gardens. His time and inspiration are important to the role Chicago Botanic Garden plays in international plant collections and plant conservation work. Generous and energetic, Kris has taken leadership positions on numerous committees, boards of non-profit organizations and trade associations.
Kris’ dedication to perfection earned for the Chicago Botanic Garden the APGA/Horticulture Magazine Award for Garden Excellence for the highest standards of horticultural practices. In 2007, Kris received the American Horticultural Society’s Professional Award for career achievements that represent significant contributions to horticulture. His outstanding leadership and significant contributions to horticulture were further recognized in 2007 when he received the Professional Award from the American Horticultural Society.
Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal:
Pollinator Partnership, San Francisco, California
Pollination is essential to the production of at least 80% of the world's species of crops and to many plants in the natural world. Our quality of life depends on the health of pollinators. The mission of Pollinator Partnership ("P2") is " ...to protect pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education and research."
P2 achieves its mission by building awareness of pollinator issues and advancing scientific understanding. A major accomplishment is P2's creation and management of North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) through which key governmental and non-governmental stakeholders take actions to protect pollinators.
Importantly, P2 works with federal agencies and Congress to safeguard pollinators through building critical language into key legislation, such as The Farm Act of 2008, as well as, identifying specific goals and actions for implementation by federal agencies through a "Memorandum of Understanding".
Scientific research encouraged by P2 has fostered the first network of pollinator scientists by creating a broadly accessible, digital database for important decision making. P2 partners with many organizations to create pollinator-friendly public gardens, including the U.S. Botanic Garden/U.S. Garden of the Nation in Washington, D.C.
Eco-regional Guides offered by P2 identify pollinator-friendly plants and horticultural practices in thirty-one regions covering the continental United States. The goal is to extend the project to Canada and beyond. Its creation of National Pollinator Week and a pollinator stamp further attest to its effectiveness.
Creatively championing bees, birds, bats, and other North American pollinators, P2 embodies the environmentally-focused values honored by the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal.
Jane Righter Rose Medal:
William J. Radler, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
William J. Radler’s reputation for developing disease resistant hardy roses is recognized worldwide. The first rose he introduced was Knock Out® in 2005. Within five years it outsold all other roses combined and earned him the name “Mr. Knock Out."
Mr. Radler graduated in 1968 from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. After graduation he worked for the Milwaukee County Park System and then as garden director for The Boerner Botanical Gardens from 1981 until his retirement in 1994.
Bill’s love of roses began at the age of 9 when he planted his first rose. By the age of 17 he was an accomplished blue ribbon winner in Milwaukee rose shows. While working with mentors, he noticed that as they got older rose lovers could not keep up with the demands and hard work that maintaining roses required. He decided to do something about it. He began to hybridize roses with the hope of finding a maintenance free rose, one that anyone, at any time, at any age could enjoy and grow with ease. After many years of trial and error the Knock Out® was born. To date there are some 20 varieties of Knock Out® to be enjoyed.
Knock Out® and Bill Radler have received many awards over the years. Knock Out® won the prestigious All-American Rose Selections Award in 2000 and the American Rose Society’s first Members' Choice Award in 2004. As one of history’s most noted rosarians, Bill was named the 2008 Great Rosarian of the World.
Bill’s passion is developing new varieties of roses and cultivating his creations at his 2-acre garden in Greenfield, Wisconsin.
Achievement Medal:
Suzanne Hill Williams, Savannah, Georgia
Suzanne Hill Williams’ dedication to conservation causes stems from a devotion and a deep reverence for the natural world. But, that alone is not enough. She has consistently studied and mastered the complex issues threatening landscapes that, without her willingness to speak up, might have been lost forever.
For over 25 years, she has advocated for a broad range of issues including endangered species, protection of wild and scenic rivers, National Forests and Parksand against drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
In 1982, as a founding member of the Savannah Tree Foundation, Suzie helped halt devastating destruction of many of Savannah’s magnificent and ancient trees. Education and advocacy finally led to adoption of Savannah’s first tree ordinance and creation of ongoing tree planting programs.
In 1998, her interest in our national forests led to her vice-chairmanship of GCA’s Conservation Committee. She continues toserve as an advisor mentoring new members and working in cooperation with many other national organizations to influence legislation and increase funding for the National Forests and Parks and to prevent commercial incursions into both.
Since 2003, Suzie, with the GCA and others, has worked to protect the wilderness designation on Cumberland Island, a National Seashore off the Georgia Coast. Don Barger of the National Parks Conservation Association says her “tireless work was integral to the ultimate success of this preservation and future generations of visitors will experience the awe of this incredible landscape due to her efforts."
Suzie’s outreach to foster better environmental solutions for the nation by working within the GCA, her community, the state of Georgia serves as a model for all garden club members. Her quiet and unassuming manner belies her determination to win for the good of the planet.