• Organized in 1922, Member of the Garden Club of Virginia since 1924

  • Excerpts from Follow the Green Arrow Volume II – The History of the Garden Club of Virginia, 1970-1995

    July 21, 2013 | History News
  • 1970 -1980

    In a tax conscious decade, Rivanna Garden Club was proud when the Internal Revenue Service granted the club charitable status. The club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Sentimental Journey in 1972 and sent a gift to the Kent-Valentine House.

    Club members serving with distinction on The GCV Committees during this decade were Miss Jean Printz, Director of Public Relations (1970-1972), Parliamentarian and Editor of the Register (1972-1974), The GCV Treasurer (1974-1978, and First Vice President (1978-1980). Mrs. Charles K. Woltz (Dawn) was The GCV Flowers Show Chairman (1973-1974), Horticulture Chairman (1976-1978) , and a Director-at-Large (1978-1981). Miss Elisabeth Aiken Nolting won the deLacy Gray Medal in 1976 for her dedicated and effective work in preserving historic Green Springs Valley from 20th-century encroachment.

    After over 14 years as Rivanna’s Rose Test chairmen, the marvelous team, Captain and Mrs. Edgar M. Williams (Margaret), stepped down and were honored with a “Williams Day.” They continued to participate, exhibit, and win. In 1972 and 1973, they received the President of Member Clubs Cup.

    Rivanna Garden Club shared Historic Garden Week responsibilities with the Albemarle Garden Club and The Charlottesville Garden Club for the entire week. A special University Day included the President’s House, Pavilions, Bayly Museum, and selected students’ rooms on the Lawn decorated in floral finery.

    The club continued to send memorials to the Kent-Valentine Endowment Fund, fought litter battles, remembered the elderly at Christmas, helped to landscape the Martha Jefferson Hospital, established and took care of an Ash Lawn Garden, gave numerous herb books to the UVA’s Alderman Library as a Susan Metcalf Musselman Memorial, and planted trees along the new Rout 250 West By-Pass.
    The GCV’s 35th and 36th Annual Lily Shows were sponsored by the RGC with great success in 1977 and 1978.

    Club president during the 1970s were Mrs. Myron E. Tremain, Mrs. Elmer F. Wieboldt, Jr., Mrs. Carl McFarland, Mrs. David V. Strider, and Mrs. Charles M. Davison, Jr.

    1980 – 1990

    For Rivanna Garden Club 1980 was a special year. Jean Printz was elected President of The Garden Club of Virginia (1980-1982), and the club sponsored The GCV Annual Meeting in 1985. Never too busy to assume responsibility, Jean served later as Finance Chairman of The GCV from 1984-1986 and Chairman of the Nominating Committee from 1986 to 1988. The club was indeed proud when Dawn Woltz received the Massie Medal in 1987 “for her gift of beauty and her joy in the giving.” Betty Strider served as District II Chairman of Historic Garden Week from 1983-1989.

    The club helped to landscape a new Red Cross Building, operated Rivanna’s booth at Barracks Road Bazaar and had plant sales to finance gifts to the Nature Conservancy, Blandy Farm, ARC (Albemarle, Rivanna, Charlottesville) camp, Ivy Creek, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Attention Homes, High Rise for Elderly, and Comyn Hall. It also sent camper to Nature Camp, worked with the Albemarle and The Charlottesville Garden clubs to man and finance an ARC Natural History Day Camp, pooled resources of $4,500 for a Wildlife Center van (named ARC), and developed an environmental issues brochure. The clubs’ joint Historic Garden Week opened for fewer day, though it netted more than $30,000. Members delivered hospital flowers on a regular basis, rested a novice gardening class, instituted a “Plant-A-Tree” project for the downtown mall, added substantially to the “in house” library collection, and planted a small rose and herb garden at City Hall, in memory of Captian and Mrs. Edgar M. Williams.

    The club was awarded $500 twice (as runner-up for The Garden Club of Virginia Common Wealth Award) to replace trees destroyed by a 1983 tornado at Miller School. In 1987, the club was the recipient of the Common Wealth Award. With the $5,000 award, along with help from the club treasury and dedicated members, more than 40 trees were planted at the school.

    Club presidents during the 1980s were Mrs. Stanley P. Wilcox, Mrs. Richard L. Nunley, Mrs. William S. Edwards, Mrs. Bruce W. Nelson, and Mrs. Ernest H. Ern.

    1990 – 1995

    Having come a long way since its formation on November 16, 1922, the club started the 1990s with a full complement of accomplished gentlewomen, 50 active, 20 associate, and a few gentlemen among the honorary members. The club assisted the Albemarle Garden Club at The GCV Annual Meeting in 1994 and remained committed to the challenges of Historic Garden Week each year and to the task of sponsoring The GCV 1995 and 1996 Lily Shows. The club won the Past Presidents of The Garden Club of Virginia Trophy at The GCV Annual Lily Show in 1993.

    Accolades were given once more to Jean Printz, the 1991 winner of the Massie Medal for “loving and distinguished service to the community and The Garden Club of Virginia.” As the club’s perpetual finance chairman, she encouraged contributions to the Kilham Garden (which the members had planted at St. Anne’s School in 1967) and to the landscaping of the Ronald McDonald House.
    Life with Rivanna is never idle!

    Club presidents during the early 1990s were Mrs. Martin Ochs, Mrs. James B. Wood, and Mrs. A. Ward Sims.

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