2007 Fall BOG: Blue Ridge

May 2, 2022

Photos

The eighty-eighth meeting of the Board of Governors was hosted by the Blue Ridge Garden Club in Lexington at the Hampton Inn Col Alto, chaired by Julie MacKinlay, Julie Grover and Edith Prillaman.

The Board of Directors met October 9, 2007, at the Reeves Center on the Washington and Lee University campus. Sally Guy welcomed board members and thanked Margery Couper and the Associate members of the Blue Ridge Garden Club for the elegant luncheon prior to the meeting.

Finance Chairman Anne Baldwin presented a lengthy board report noting the following: the Public Relations and Horticulture committees had requested extra funding from the Reserve for Contingences; the Flower Shows consultant had requested additional funds for travel expenses; and the Restoration Committee funds had been moved to Darrell & King in Charlottesville.

Conservation Chairman Marsha Merrell reported that she and Catharine Gilliam were two of the “environmental stakeholders” working on the Citizen Board Consolidation Bill. GCV opposed the initial bill that sought to consolidate several citizen conservation boards, thus reducing citizen input.

Marsha then moved to join support for a Virginia Conservation Network letter to Senator John Warner regarding legislation he is set to propose on global warming. Motion carried.

Outlook Committee Chairman Kim Nash described logistical and legal complexities of any type of board restructure, as recommended by the Strategic Plan. As a result, she reported the committee was moving forward with great care and deliberation before recommending any changes.

The Dutch treat dinner on Tuesday night was a “barn casual” affair with live bluegrass music, hosted by Ed and Julie MacKinlay in the grand barn at their “River Forks” farm.

President Sally Guy Brown called the Board of Governors meeting to order Wednesday morning.

Blue Ridge President Julie Mackinlay welcomed attendees and urged everyone to read the club’s history in the printed program, written by Suzanne Carmichael. Note: A GCV decision to eliminate club history presentations at meetings was based on member suggestions to reduce the number and the length of reports at Annual and BOG meetings.

Morning reports focused on updates to strategic plan implementation.

Common Wealth Award Chairman Nancy Lowry called on Nansemond River Garden Club president Pat House to provide an update of her club’s 2006 Common Wealth Award “The Cedar Hill Project: Heritage Garden.”

Historic Garden Week Chairman Tricia Sauer and Historic Garden Week Executive Director Suzanne Munson provided 2008 tour updates and reminded attendees that the upcoming GCV Symposium would focus on historic restorations, honoring past HGW tour chairmen. Tricia was pleased to announce that color options had been expanded for Guidebook advertisers. At the close of the HGW report, Tricia presented Suzanne Munson with fifteen roses, signifying her fifteen years as Historic Garden Week Executive Director.

Holding up plastic grocery bags, Conservation Chairman Marsha Merrell asked, “Do you know what these are?” She continued, “These are ‘witches britches.’ You see them in trees mostly in winter,” and announced that the James River Garden Club was issuing a challenge to all clubs to encourage all members to stop using them.

Lunch for attendees was held in Moody Hall on the VMI campus, overlooking the Parade Ground. Following lunch, attendees were offered a choice of two tours — Roots & Shoots Intergenerational School Garden and Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden or Woods Creek Restoration Project and Roots & Shoots.

The 2007 Common Wealth Award was presented to the Spotswood Garden Club at the awards banquet for the “Healing Garden at Camp Still Meadows” in Rockingham County. The camp provides year-round therapeutic activities for children and adults with mental retardation and/or physical disabilities in a safe, creative environment.

Sally Guy reconvened the meeting on Thursday morning, and Online Chairman and Webmaster Nina Mustard conducted a website training session for attendees. Following business reports, attendees were offered two choices of three seminars: Conservation conducted by Marsha Merrell; Restoration conducted by Mary Lou Seilheimer; and Development conducted by Karen Jamison and Catherine Whitham.

Deedy Bumgardner offered a tribute to the Blue Ridge Garden Club, after which attendees enjoyed a photo slide review of 2006-2007 GCV events with photos by Linda Consolvo and presentation by Nina Mustard.

Blue Ridge president Julie MacKinlay then introduced speaker Philip Coulling, Director of Nature Camp in Vesuvius, who informed attendees about the camp’s activities and thanked Garden Club of Virginia members for their loyal support. Following adjournment, guests were invited to picnic at Nature Camp.