As part of Charleston Horticultural Society's Founders Day Program, the 1830s Award is presented to honor exemplary horticultural service and creative vision in the Lowcountry. The award medallion was designed by a former board member, Karl Beckwith Smith and cast in silver.Nominations are due to the CHS office by November 1. The nomination application follows below.
The 2010 1830 Award Winner, Lucile MacLennen-
The Charleston Horticultural Society (CHS) is pleased to announce Mrs. Lucile MacLennan as the recipient of this year’s 1830 Award in recognition of her commitment to botanical pursuits that has further enriched the greater Charleston horticultural community. Presented annually, MacLennan received the 1830 Award, presented by outgoing board president Sheila Wertimer, Monday evening January 11 at the Horticultural Society’s Annual Founders Day meeting with a “standing room only” crowd of nearly 300 CHS members and guests. A lecture, featuring internationally renowned plantsman Daniel J. Hinkley, was held at The Charleston Museum followed by the 1830 Award Reception.
Born in Hartwell Georgia, MacLennan is a dynamic force in the Charleston area. Growing up in not one - but three gardens - she was inspired by her parents and both sets of grandparents. This gift of gardening began as she watched her grandparents find and swap plants and she learned the medicinal properties from her father who was a physician. He also taught her the botanical names along with the common names. Lucile soon realized that plants are to be loved and shared. Lucile continued with this fascination and studied botany in college. Then, she and her now late husband moved to Charleston.
That is when, in 1959, Lucile contacted The Charleston Museum inquiring about native plants. She was referred to Mrs. Horlbeck at 17 Meeting Street whose first words to Lucile were, “Are you a serious student?” With that, weekly meetings ensued that turned into a ten year relationship of scouting, collecting and identifying plants across the Lowcountry.
MacLennan has availed herself to numerous worldwide tours involving the study of gardens including English, Italian Renaissance, New England and Southern Gardens. She worked with Loutrell Briggs and one of his students to develop her garden in the Crescent. She also created a native plant woodland section in her garden with the assistance of Robert Marvin.
After 44 faithful years in The Garden Club of Charleston and nine years as a member of CHS, she continues to help bring horticultural experts to this region and often acts as a generous host to many. And now, at the youthful age of 89, MacLennan continues to give unselfishly of her time and knowledge. From speaking engagements, tours, educational programming, and garden writing, MacLennan’s volunteer leadership and passion is legendary. She can be found cultivating her beautiful garden, digging in the dirt, nearly every morning!
The 2009 1830 Award Winner, Patti McGee
CHS Board president , Sheila Wertimer presented Patti with the 1820 Award Medal for her outstanding vision, incredible wisdom and ever-present passion for horticultural excellence. Ms.Wertimer shared the following nomination written by CHS member and friend, Beverly Rivers: “I have worked with Patti for the past 15 years as she has transformed her Anson Street Garden into the horticultural jewel that it is today. Patti’s pure love for every facet of gardening has driven this process….she loves working in her garden….she loves nurturing and caring for her garden. She loves traveling either in person or through the pages of books and magazines to the simplest and finest gardens all over the world to learn what they can teach her about her garden. She loves improving her garden. To anyone else, Patti’s garden was done 5 years ago but for Patti, there is always an outstanding new plant or design concept worth considering and incorporating to keep her garden fresh and exciting. And Patti, just being the Patti that we all know and love, is content being at home watering, weeding, pruning or planting a new pot for the garden as she is visiting some of the finest gardens in the world and chatting with celebrities such as Penelope Hobhouse or Rosemary Verey about a recent plant discovery or pruning technique. The obvious result of Patti’s commitment to the field of horticulture is a garden that continues to receive both national and regional attention. Gardening magazines and garden writers and photographers return regularly to feature a design aspect or capture a picture of extraordinary beauty. Local instructors of horticulture bring their classes to the garden to point out the essentials of good design as well as the superior selection us of both familiar and seldom seen plant material. Individual gardeners and garden professionals frequently ask to walk through the garden to evaluate the growing patterns and conditions required for cutting edge plants they want to add to their designs. Charitable organizations are never turned away if they need the garden to be featured on a tour or as a setting for a social gathering. Yet, creating her own garden was never enough for Patti. Her commitment to improving her city as evidenced by her years of community service steered her efforts in a new direction. Aware of how difficult it was for her to find the answers to all the questions generated once she had decided to dig deeper into the topic of gardening, Patti knew their had to be a better way! So Patti joined hands with a liked minded group of fellow gardeners and together they created a vision and mission for this very organization- the Charleston Horticultural Society - one that was inspired by an earlier group of gardening activists who set out in 1830 to inform and educate the Charleston gardening community. Following its rebirth, Patti has been the member who has invited, coaxed and persuaded a long and impressive list of gardening experts in fields as diverse as design, writing, photography, plant exploring and propagation to visit Charleston as a guest of the Horticultural Society. Through their lectures, panel discussions and slide presentations they have changed and inspired and enlightened us all. Then, as if her schedule was not full enough, Patti is asked to be on the board as the southern representative for The Garden Conservancy. Founded by Frank Cabot and modeled after the remarkable work of the National Trust in Great Britain, this very young organization has begun to identify noteworthy private gardens in the United States that are in danger of returning to plots of overgrown and weeds and implement programs to preserve them and open them to the public. So now Patti is working to assist this effort to the likes of Elizabeth Lawrence’s private garden in Charlotte, Pearl Fryar’s garden in Bishopville and Nancy Goodwin’s garden in Chapel Hill.
From two signature window boxes on Church Street to a Loutrell Briggs’ garden renovation on Anson Street, Patti McGee has spent a quarter of a century sharing generously of all that she has learned in the field of horticulture and our gardening community is indebted to her passion, energy and commitment. Our beloved Patti, a Marion native, has been featured in numerous national garden publications as well as gardening books and television programs as well as recognized with prestigious awards honoring her accomplishments in the world of gardening and horticulture. "
The 2008 1830 Award Winner, Jim Martin
Jim Martin was raised on a dairy farm in Ohio, and moved with his family to South Carolina when he was in the 8th grade. By the 10th grade, he knew that he wanted to study horticulture at Clemson University. During his college years, he gained early professional experience through internships. So, Jim was immediately hired by the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia after graduating from Clemson in 1986 with a BS degree in Ornamental Horticulture,
While he was the Director of Horticulture there for over 12 years, Jim played a key role in the development of Riverbank’s superb 90-acre botanical garden, a place that has become nationally recognized since it opened in 1996 (has been named by Horticulture magazine, one of ten gardens in this country that “inspire”). He also served on the board of Columbia Green, an organization dedicated to green space enhancement in downtown Columbia.
Ready for new challenges, Jim moved to the Lowcountry to work on the master plan for the Mepkin Abbey Botanical Garden in Moncks Corner. In 2000, he became a founding board member of the Charleston Horticultural Society, and a dynamic force for our growth throughout his 7-year tenure. At Brookgreen Gardens, Jim was Vice-President of Horticulture, where he elevated the design level of the gardens to the classical beauty of the art in this long-famous estate.
Jim is currently the Executive Director of the newly formed Charleston Parks Conservancy, which has already partnered with the Horticultural Society on the South Windermere beautification project. In addition, he is also a writer, photographer and floral artist.
These are the outlines of a stellar career, spent shaping the horticultural and artistic development of South Carolina’s most important public and private gardens.
The 2007 1830 Award Winner, Jan MacDougal
Jan MacDougal's talent and knowledge of horticulture combined with her commitment and passion for the preservation of historic gardens and landscapes have proved invaluable and have left an important legacy for the entire community. She has greatly enriched the Charleston community through her writing, lectures, garden tours and personal contributions to many gardening events and horticultural activites in the city. Jan continually strives to increase her botanical knowledge, contantly works to perfect her wonderful garden, volunteers tirelessly to assist our horticultural community in any way and shares all of her expertise, and frequently her plants in an enthusiastic and willing manner... she is a reflection of her garden in many ways--- warm, creative and a source of pleasure.
Jan is a National Council Flower Show Judge, NY State Horticultural Judge, Master Gardener, Charleston Horticultural Society Docent, Licensed City of Charleston Guide since 1973, and a Botanical Research Consultant. She is a much sought-after teacher and lecturer, acclaimed author, and effective activist for preservation. Her flower arrangements have graced the covers of an imppressive list of National magazines and graced the visits of foreign dignitaries and American Presidents.
She is talented beyond words in so many areas but is also incredibly generous with all her gifts. The Charleston Horticultural Society is so pleased to have her in our midst.
The 2006 1830 Award Winner, Richard D. Porcher
Dr. Richard Porcher meets every one of the criteria set forth for the CHS 1830 Award and then some. Raised in Pinopolis, Berkeley County, Dr. Porcher received his education in South Carolina, holding a PhD in Biology from USC. He went on to be a Professor of Biology at The Citadel for 33 years where he also established the Citadel Herbarium. An authority on the flora of South Carolina, he has used his knowledge of the natural world to enrich the Charleston community as author of Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry and the Lower Pee Dee and co-author of Lowcountry: The Natural Landscape, A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina and Sea Island Cotton.
Presently, Dr. Porcher is implementing much of what he taught by restoring the Carolina bays and long leaf pine forest of a plantation in Clarendon County. As Professor Emeritus at The Citadel, Dr. Porcher is also continuing his own education by being a Master's Candidate in History. Dr. Richard Porcher embodies the undying commitment to the horticultural community for which the award was created.
The 2005 1830 Award Winner, Ruth Knopf
Ruth was honored for her "exemplary horticultural service and creative vision in the greater Charleston area." Her letters of recommendation extolled the magnificent gardens at Boone Hall Plantation that she designed; The Heritage Rose Trail she helped plan for the 9th International Heritage Rose Conference, which she hosted; as well as her leadership with the study garden of the Noisette roses at Hampton Park.
The private and public gardens in the Lowcountry that she has touched have truly enriched the beauty of our surroundings. Indeed, her horticultural influence is international.
Nomination Application
“ The Charleston Horticultural Society will present the 1830 Award to those individuals or entities whose
commitment to botanical pursuits has enriched the greater Charleston horticultural community.
The 1830 Award may be given annually on Founders Day in recognition of our distinguished predecessor,
The Horticultural Society of Charleston which was established in 1830.”
Overview
The 1830 Award honors exemplary service and creative vision in the field of horticulture.
I. A candidate for the 1830 Award may be submitted by any member of the Charleston Horticultural Society. It is not, however, required that the person(s) proposed be a member of CHS.
II. Members of the 1830 Award Committee and current members of the Charleston Horticultural Society Board can make a proposal but cannot be proposed.
III. The 1830 Committee is appointed by the CHS Board and will include qualified specialists from within and outside of the CHS membership community. The committee will review the proposals and determine finalists.
IV. The 1830 Award Recipient will be chosen by majority vote by the Board of CHS from the list of finalists.
Consideration may include (but is not limited to):
· Achievement in garden design
· Service to conservation
· Preservation of landscapes
· Environmental protection
· Horticultural Research
· Botany
· Education
· Restoration of park space or gardens of historic value
· Leadership in community improvement as it relates to the aimsand endeavors of CHS
Procedure
Members of CHS should follow the procedures herewith when proposing a candidate for the 1830 Award.
1. The CHS member will send a letter of nomination to the 1830 Award Committee (CHS, 46 Windermere Blvd., Charleston, SC 29407). Included in the letter will be:
a) The full name and address of the candidate:
b) A summary of the candidate’s accomplishments
c) Names, addresses and phone numbers of three references. These references should be persons able to speak with some authority about the candidate’s record of accomplishments.
d) A limited amount of extra material which will be helpful to the Award Committee in its deliberations, such as books written by the candidate, drawings, photographs or articles concerning the candidate may be submitted. Videotapes are not encouraged but, if deemed essential to the portfolio, should be limited to five minutes.
2. All information should be submitted together by the proposer and sent to the CHS office. The proposer should keep a copy.
3. The packet should be sent as early as possible; the deadline is November 1st.
4. The 1830 Committee will meet in early November to review the portfolios of the proposed candidates and select finalists whose names will be presented to the CHS Board at the November Board meeting in order that the CHS Board can make the final selection of the1830 Award winner.
Responsibilities of Proposers
1. A candidate’s proposal for the award will be treated with discretion on the part of the Board and the 1830 Committee. Likewise, we value discretion on the part of each proposer.
2. The CHS Board will notify the proposer in December about the chosen medalist. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the winner is present at the Founders Day award ceremony (the scond Monday evening in January). The 1830 Committee will notify proposers whose candidates were not selected.
3. It is the responsibility of the proposer to inform the three references of the CHS Board’s decision, understanding that it will be possible to resubmit their proposal another year. To resubmit a portfolio, a new letter must be sent. Additional letters may be added to resubmitted portfolios.
4. The Charleston Horticultural Society’s 1830 Award will consist of a silver medal and a certificate.
Our sincere thanks to those who help us by participating,
The 1830 Committee
