Kansas State University

In the late 1980’s I was serving as the Riley County Extension Director and horticulture education was one of my responsibilities. I wrote a weekly column and had a weekly radio show that focused on all things horticultural. Dr. Paul Jennings, late head of the department of horticulture, approached me to organize a support group for the Kansas State University Gardens, which was just getting off the ground. I remembered the affect the original campus gardens had on me as a student at K-State. It was a place to go and relax, reflect and enjoy the beautifully landscaped garden. That original garden was replaced with a new campus building, leaving a real void for the campus and the community. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to support and assist in the development of the new gardens location.  A few years ago, I was asked to get involved once more in Friends of The Gardens. No longer involved in horticulture educational programming, but still very interested in trees, shrubs, flowers and gardening, I wanted to do what I could to support the gardens on the Kansas State University campus. The Gardens had developed into a beautiful and valued resource for the campus and surrounding Manhattan community.  There is an exciting plan for growth of The Gardens that can be viewed in the Quinlan Visitor Center, and I am very interested in doing all I can to support continued development as a Friend of The Gardens.