Members of the Cambridge Area and Tri-County Branches of the Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association were honored at the 104th F&G Annual Meeting held June 7 through 9 in Ithaca, New York. National President Rita Urbanski presented the group with a photo of the bronze leaf that was added in honor of the Division to the memorial tree at the Hilda Justice Artifacts Center at the Temple University Ambler Campus, the founding site of WNF&GA and the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women.
In 2017, after 88 year in existence, the New York Division of WNF&GA was dissolved and its funds disbursed. The membership chose to give the bulk of its funds, $40,000, to benefit the National organization’s Renaud-Peterson U.S. National Arboretum Internship. Since 1990 the annual internship has sponsored a college student to care for the Louisa King Dogwood Garden during the summer.
The garden was established in 1952 in memory of Farm & Garden’s first national president Mrs. Francis King. Mrs. King was also founder of the NY Division, which at one time included the Metropolitan Branch in New York City, the Taconic Valley Branch in the Berlin area, the Cambridge Area Branch and the Tri-County Branch in Hartford. Mrs. King founded the Metropolitan and Tri-County Branches. The Cambridge Area Branch was founded in 1959.
Marian Renaud was National President from 1986-1988. She and her husband Jim established the Renaud Fund in 1988 to support F&G projects, particularly the Intern Program at the Arboretum. Bea Peterson was National President from 1994-1996. At the end of her term she and Juliah Gibson of the Pennsylvania Division embarked on a “Walk to the Garden,” a 375 mile trek from Albany, NY to Washington DC, ending at the Dogwood Garden. The Walk raised $30,000 to benefit the Intern program.
Those attending the Annual Meeting from New York this year included Member-at-Large June Hmielenski, formerly of the Taconic Valley Branch, Loretta Minervini and Bea Peterson of the Cambridge Area Branch and five members of the Tri-County Branch, President Joanna Prouty, Secretary Janine Thomas, Davene Brown, Janet Spielberger, and Audrey Ehrler, National Corresponding Secretary. Audrey was the organization’s representative to the National Arboretum for 10 years.
The Louisa King Dogwood Garden covers many acres and includes a multitude of dogwood species as well as azaleas and other complimentary plants. It also includes a fountain dedicated to F&G members, past, present and future, several teakwood benches and a lovely peaceful overlook of the Anacostia River, all contributed by Farm & Garden.