Planting Thoughts Of Summer

The Garden Club of Newtown said farewell to another year of club meetings, projects, fundraising and scholarship-bestowing when members met at the home of Debby Osbourne this week for a picnic lunch.

Nancy Rowe settled her final business as the club’s president. After having served for four years, Mrs Rowe decided to take a break from the top leadership position. Mrs Osbourne and Judy Benson will share the role of president for the next year.

“Being president has been a great opportunity to learn about gardening and also about Newtown,” Mrs Rowe told those in attendance Tuesday afternoon. “Anything I’ve ever done has been fun, even the weeding,” she laughed. The outgoing president was presented with a number of gifts from the ladies of the club, including a gift certificate to The English Cottage and an elaborate decorative birdhouse.

Adopted during Tuesday’s informal meeting was the board of directors for Garden Club of Newtown’s 2002-03 season. In addition to Mrs Osbourne and Mrs Benson as co-presidents, the following directors were accepted unanimously:

Treasurer, Carol Garbarino; secretary, Marietta Rode; membership, JoAnn Scebold; program coordinator, Brid Craddock; ways and means, Pat Benkovich and Judy Baldus; publicity, Ginnie Carey; bulletin, Paula Stephan; and civic, Lucy Sullivan and Margaret Clark.

The board of directors also includes youth committee, headed by Paula Stephan; conservation, Sue Toll; horticulture, Kay Cochrane; birds, Nancy Rowe; hospitality, Mona Steele; sunshine, Anne LaBianco; historian, Diane Warner; yearbook, Cheryl Wicks; and artistic development, Marcia Cavanaugh.