Tracking down
the history of the Gloucester Master Gardeners is far easier
said than done. This report is based on what very few records
exist and on the recollections of people interviewed. To get to
when the GMGs started, one has to look at when the Master
Gardener Program was introduced in the area.
In 1982, while
he was the 4-H agent in York County, Jim Orband was told by the
District Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension that there
would be a Master Gardener Program in the Peninsula and that he
would be in charge of it. This started the ball rolling as he
held an organizational meeting for the Peninsula Master Gardener
Program on September 20, 1982. Oddly, many of the Cooperative
Extension agents in the area were against this program as they
felt that the volunteers would, in effect, do many of their
jobs. Neither Gloucester, Mathews, nor Middlesex had an
Extension Agent at this time. Initially, James City County, York
County, Hampton, and Newport News were the counties involved.
Eventually James City County broke away and
Gloucester-Mathews-Middlesex counties joined about 1988.
In 1983 two
women from Gloucester took the Master Gardener Course in Newport
News. They volunteered in the Gloucester Cooperative Extension
Office; one worked with children in the 4‑H Program and the
other worked with adults in the community. There was no
organized GMG.
During
1984-1985 Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex residents
attending the Peninsula Master Gardener Program were counted
under the York County umbrella.
Eugene Daniels
was the Extension Agent for the Middle Peninsula beginning
around 1986. Master Gardener volunteers worked with him. Janet
Leigh was the Unit Coordinator and Jean Duggan was the
Administrative Assistant. According to Pauline Simmons, a MG representative to
the Extension Leadership Council, there were just a handful of
MG volunteers from Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex. They
held pruning clinics and, although they did not sit in the
Extension Office, they would be called to answer residents’
questions when Mr. Daniels was out of the office working in
another county.
Throughout the
years 1987-1989 Gloucester folks attended classes in Newport
News or York County. Leslie Bowie, Class of 1989, remembers
that it was difficult to obtain their service payback hours as
there were few projects. One way they obtained their hours was
to mix fertilizers—weigh and mix the various ingredients--for
the local daffodil flower growers to use in fertilizing their
existing daffodil fields.
The Fall 1990
class contained 13 folks from Gloucester—most notably George and
Mary Simpson, Harry Corr of Roadview Farm, and Susan Sutherland.
During 1991 Mr.
Daniels was busy with his job and traveling throughout the three
counties. The Master Gardeners—from Gloucester, Mathews, and
Middlesex--had grown in number and under Susan Sutherland
organized themselves into a coherent group with regular
meetings. This was the beginning of the
Gloucester-Mathews-Middlesex Master Gardeners. Susan was the
first president and served in that position several years; John
Keller followed her in this position. One of the first major
projects the group did was to develop the courtyard garden at
the Walter Reed Convalescent Center. They also worked at the
State Fair, answered gardening questions from their home phones,
taught in the Ready, Set, Grow Program, and helped out in the
4-H Program.
The Fall 1991
class included Carol Steele, the current Director of Parks,
Recreation, and Tourism. In the 1992 class were Marguerite
Supler, Wendy Wells, and Kathleen Duncan. Each succeeding class
has brought more active volunteers to the ranks of Gloucester
Master Gardeners and expanded the services that are offered to
county residents.
The period of
1993-94 saw a decrease in the activities of the
Gloucester-Mathews-Middlesex organization. In the Fall of 1994
the Mathews members organized themselves under Ted Broderson,
their president for several years. No data is available about
the Middlesex Master Gardeners.
Gloucester-Mathews-Middlesex Master Gardener Presidents
-
1991 Susan Sutherland
-
1992 Susan Sutherland
-
1993
No recollection
-
1994 No recollection
Assumed
Beginning of the Gloucester Master Gardeners Association
-
1995 John Keller
-
1996 John Keller
-
1997 Pat Zima
-
1998 Bob Dugan
-
1999 Florace Arnold
-
2000 Florace Arnold
-
2001 Noel Priseler
-
2002 Noel Priseler
-
2003
Jane Smith
-
2004 Kate Cole
-
2005 Noel Priseler
-
2006 Lance Gardener
-
2007 Betty Durrette
-
2008 Mo Lynch
Today, the
Gloucester Master Gardeners number about 77 volunteers, and the
projects they participate in span a huge selection of
activities. They have become a viable and active organization
within Gloucester County.
