“It’s absolutely been life-enhancing. I was here with my 12-year-old son on the day it opened; he rolled down the grass hills. I’ve been a volunteer, and I love seeing the Garden grow and change. It’s been wonderful.”

–Nancy Mandel

“Early on when my children were very young, this was my refuge. It was an introduction to the world’s wonder to them, and it was a way to find a little bit of peace in our otherwise crazy lives. … I taught for a number of years, and I had copious papers to correct. When I discovered coming over here [on weekends to correct papers], especially during the winter months, and sitting in the Café, looking out through the windows at the beautiful sight of snow drifting down—that was my refuge, and that got me through some very difficult years. I had peace and quiet here. So I think that’s what I come for. It feeds my spirit. It improves me.”

–Madeleine Felix

“We remember back when [the Garden as it exists today] was just an aspirational drawing. The two of us said, ‘It’ll never happen,’ because it was so ambitious. ‘Not in our lifetime.’ We couldn’t imagine that all of that would come to be. And now to see that it’s far beyond that—and to think it’s near where we live.”

–Lynn Keefer

(pictured: Lynn & Al Keefer)

“I’m a painter, and I paint flowers. I wanted to come here and take photographs, so I joined the Botanic Garden in the early ’70s, and [since then] I’ve had four exhibits here. They were probably the most successful exhibits in my career. I love the Garden, and I’ve loved watching it grow, and I just kept renewing my membership … and as it grew and expanded and expanded, you’ve got so many people who love this Garden. It means a lot, and I’m glad to see it’s been so successful.”

–Winnie Godfrey

“The Garden was always the place where I could go for inspiration. I love gardening, and my mother-in-law loved gardening too. Every Thursday we would come to the Botanic Garden, and we would go along and take notes on what flowers we saw that we liked. Every time you come, you see yet another thing that you hadn’t noticed before. That’s what the Garden has meant to me. The opportunity to be creative.”

–Trudy Isbitz Brodsky

“It’s like my backyard. I’ve brought my children, and then my grandchildren, and even my great-grandchildren to Halloween [Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns]. It gets bigger and better every year. [The Garden is] just a wonderful space without intrusions to enjoy the beauty of nature.”

–June Hamer

(pictured: June with her daughter and granddaughter)

June and her family also send a special shout-out to the staff at the Garden View Café, where June enjoys her favorite oatmeal at least once a week!

“I walk here three times a week or more. If we moved, we couldn’t replace it. It’s my therapy session.”

–Sandy Kroll

(pictured: Sandy & Bill Kroll)