1999 Spring Annual Meeting: Boxwood

January 26, 2022

The 79th Annual Meeting of the Garden Club of Virginia was hosted by the Boxwood Garden Club on May 11-13 at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, chaired by Loretta Miller and Beese Craigie.

The Board of Directors met at historic Redesdale, home of Boxwood Garden Club member Ann Reed with luncheon preceding the meeting.

Bessie brought up the emerging need for a house manager, plus assistance for the GCV Treasurer. GCV Attorney Joe Carter had advised the board that HGW funds could be used for an additional salary without jeopardizing 501(c)(3) status, and a consultant from Warren, Whitney and Sherwood was already in the process of evaluating GCV staffing needs.

Finance Chairman Lucy Ellett presented a scenario of increasing expenses and decreasing income. The Finance Committee had suggested (1) a dues increase from $15 to $25 (2) an increase in rental rate for HGW offices, and (3) an increase in Journal subscription rates.

In following up on a 1999 winter Board of Directors discussion, Betty reported that House Bill 1206, introduced by Tayloe Murphy to fund the creation of a Capitol Square Preservation Council was duly funded and signed by Governor Gilmore, to take effect July 1.

Betty also reported on research into the publication of a millennium book — a personal journal of a 1930 visitor to the second Historic Garden Week.

Scott and Stringfellow hosted cocktails in the Jefferson Hotel Rotunda Tuesday night prior to the Dutch treat dinner.

Bessie called the meeting to order Wednesday morning and welcomed attendees. She introduced Boxwood Garden Club President Millie Stuckey, who expressed appreciation to her club members and, especially, to Chairmen Loretta Miller and Beese Craigie. She called on Mary Frances Flowers, former GCV President and Massie Medal recipient to present a brief history of the club. Mary Frances revealed that Boxwood had helped with Historic Garden Week for 14 years BEFORE becoming a member of the Garden Club of Virginia in 1951. Also noted at the time, eight members of the club had been Chairman of Historic Garden Week and twice the club won the Massie Medal for civic beautification.

Hunter Savage offered a tribute to former GCV Attorney Justice Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. who passed away August 25, 1998. He served 20 years as GCV Attorney until his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971 and, in 1972, became an Honorary Member of the Garden Club of Virginia. He had guided GCV through the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status and in purchasing the Kent-Valentine House.

Bessie described events on the evening before Historic Garden Week, when she was invited by the National Association of Landscape Architects to a reception at Carr’s Hill, home of UVA President John Casteen. GCV was given a “beautifully expressed tribute and a framed resolution.” The president of the association, Barry Stark, described GCV as a “state and national leader in landscape conservation and preservation, and in the restoration of historic gardens and landscapes, and a leader in the fight to protect the natural beauty along our highways, naming Arthur Shurcliff, Charles F. Gillette, Ralph Griswold, William Swain, Alden Hopkins, Mead Palmer, Umberto Innocenti and Rudy Favretti.” Calling this her finest hour, she said “a slightly less exalted moment came when a man said he had four daughters, and two were members of garden club, and two were Christians.”

Speakers Bureau booklets, GCV Members Handbook ($2) and Follow the Green Arrow II ($30) were available at the meeting.

Hylah Boyd, former GCV Conservation Chairman and current President of Scenic Virginia, gave a history of the organization, formed in the spring of 1998 after a bruising billboard fight in the 1997 General Assembly. She listed first-year accomplishments and goals for the remainder of the year and encouraged member clubs and individual members to join Scenic Virginia.

Financial reports followed and the 1999-2000 budget was approved.

Horticulture Chairman Elaine Burden announced 1999 Horticulture Award of Merit recipients: Carolyn Noland, Mill Mountain; Glenna Graves, Spotswood; Suzanne Wright, Petersburg; Sue Thompson, Tuckahoe; Anne Beals, Rappahannock Valley; Ann Schmidtlein, Hunting Creek; Linda Bryan, Hunting Creek; Elaine Brandt, Winchester-Clarke; Frances Tayloe, Northern Neck; Jane Orgain, Brunswick; and Fleet Davis, Eastern Shore.

Betty Schutte reported the creation of the Capitol Square Preservation Council with funding to provide a curator and long-range planning for Capitol Square, stating that the Garden Club of Virginia would have a member on the council.

Following additional committee reports, Managing Director of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Holly Shimizu presented an exceptional slide lecture.

The meeting was adjourned for the day, and attendees were transported to a lovely al fresco lunch and the dedication of the restored Maymont landscape, followed by tours of the extensive gardens and the Dooley mansion. The Maymont restoration began in 1996 and included 28 species of trees and 40 species of shrubs. Walkways were found during digging and rebuilt in the original terra-cotta color.

Attendees were hosted that evening by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce C. Gottwald for cocktails at the Center for Education and Outreach at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts before an elegant Awards Banquet in Marble Hall.

Thursday morning’s meeting opened with guest speakers Mr. James J. McCarthy, Jr., Executive Director of Richmond Riverfront Development Corporation, and Mr. Brenton S. Halsey, President of the Richmond Riverfront Development Corporation. The presentations illustrated the revitalization of downtown Richmond through the development of its James River and its canal.

GCV chairmen reports continued. Nominations Chairman Helen Murphy presented two names on the slate for Directors at Large serving 1999-2002: Marietta Gwathmey, Harborfront, and Kim Nash, Warrenton. Helen moved to accept the slate. Motion was seconded and passed.

A tribute to the Boxwood Garden Club was presented by Sarah Bass, and the meeting was adjourned.