Question 1

Past Presidents

Accepted Answer

2023 - 2025	Carolyn Healey
2021 - 2023	Barbara Stowe
2019 - 2021 	Louise Wellemeyer
2017 - 2019 	Sue Plambeck
2015 - 2017 	Olive Coughlan
2013 - 2015	Linda Gecha
2011 - 2013 	Andrea Meyercord
2009 - 2011 	B.J. Booth
2007 - 2009 	Laura Hanson
2005 - 2007 	Tracey Gates
2003 - 2005 	Anne Gates
2001 - 2003 	Meg Gorrie
1999 - 2001 	Lockie Proctor
1997 - 1999 	Vicky Wildmerding
1995 - 1997 	Susan Levy
1993 - 1995 	Suzanne Dyckman
1991 - 1993 	Wendy Hopper
1989 - 1991 	Katie Heins
1988 - 1989 	Adela Wilmerding
1986 - 1988 	Barby Delafield
1984 - 1986 	Nancy Robins
1982 - 1984 	Lynn Dawes
1980 - 1982 	Janet Haring
1978 - 1980 	Alice Carter
1976 - 1978 	Audrey Gates
1974 - 1976 	Lenkie Adamson
1972 - 1974 	Angie Austin
1970 - 1972 	Barbara Lawrence
1968 - 1970	Adra Fairman
1967 - 1968 	Debbie Carey
1966 - 1967 	Sara Sikes
1964 - 1966	Kay Dana
1963 -1964 	Peggy Miller
1961 - 1963 	Nancy Kirkpatrick
1959 - 1961 	Nancy Genung
1957 - 1959 	Peggy Milholland
1955 - 1957 	Charlotte Schluter
1953 - 1955 	Margaret Donoho
1951 - 1953  	Sukie Williams
1949 - 1951 	Alice Lindabury
1947 - 1949 	Marion Leon
1945 - 1947 	Helen Griffin
1943 - 1945 	Sue Steele
1941 - 1943 	Dorothy Fleming
1939 - 1941 	Charlotte Schluter

Question 2

Club Highlights 1939 to 1994

Accepted Answer

1939
Four women having tea decided to start a garden club.
June 7 - twelve women met to organize a garden club and named it Greenfingers.
In December the name was changed to the Gardeners.
1941
Club did a garden in the community flower show. It was a before and after garden and won a special award. A picture of the garden was published in the New York Sun.
1942-1944
......................WAR YEARS............................
1940
Year spent in organization and planning
1945
Club became a member of the G.C.A. and changed its name to Stony Brook.
1946
Club entered the international flower show in new York city with a bay window planted with begonias.
1947
Stony brook and the G.C. of Princeton cooperated in a garden at the international flower show in New York city and won second prize. Flower show at McCarter Theater.
1948
Club trip to gardens in Ambler PA. One club member copied a solar heated pit garden seen on the trip - Fleming
1949
Club involved in the Princeton community flower show. Also acted as hostesses at New York flower show.
1950
Visiting house day -3 members' homes decorated for Christmas. Members made Christmas decorations and jellies. Club involved in community flower show and served as hostesses at New York show. G.C. of Princeton our guests at flower arranging program with Mitsou Arai. Club became a member of the Federated Garden Club of New Jersey.
1951
Sue Steele member of the schedule committee of the Philadelphia flower show.
1952
Club entered the New York International Flower Show with the Irvington, N.Y. G.C. and G.C. of Somerset Hills, NJ. Entry was a north european garden and won 3rd prize.
1953
Club entered the New York International Flower Show with the same two clubs as 1952. This year the entry was a spring garden with a dry stone wall which the clubs constructed. We won a 2nd prize and also served as hostesses at the show.
Club had a fall garden tour and flower show..
1955
Two members won 2nd and 3rd at the federated zone meeting - Fleming and Schluter.
Evelyn Alyea's Christmas program outstanding.
1954
Member awarded the tr-color at the Hopewell Valley show/ Schluter.
Club held a fall flower show and house tour.
Sue Steele gave a class in flower arranging at the adult school.
1956
Member won 1st prize at Rumson flower show - Steele
1957
Members served as hostesses at the New York Flower Show.
1958
Club entered the Philadelphia flower show. Entry was a garden planted to attract birds. It won 2nd prize.
Members served as hostesses at the New York Flower Show.
1959
Club invited by Philadelphia clubs to join them at a judging forum held in the Philadelphia art museum. Club went by bus.
Fund-raising committee was to hold an annual spring plant sale at a member's home.
1960
...........MAY MARKET WAS BORN..............
Outstanding speaker, Madeline Leuthardt, on dwarf and espaliered fruit trees,
1961
Mrs. Colie lectured on flower arranging. Club entered a garden at the Philadelphia flower show. Member received 3rd prize in arrangement class at Hopewell Valley Flower Show - Schluter.
1962
Suggested study of trees for zone, club started our tree box, which was later given to a local school, club entered a garden in the Philadelphia flower show. Members also served as hostesses at the NY show.
1963
Club program with Lois Poiner talking on how to garden without a gardener.
May market featuring unusual and hard to find plant material grown by members held at Helen Woodward’s. Sale becoming very popular by fellow serious gardeners.
1964
.*********25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLUB**********
**********GARDEN AT ROCKINGHAM BORN**********
Herb garden designed by Helen Griffin and executed by members planted at Washington’s headquarters in rocky hill. This garden won the sears roebuck award.
1965
Flower arranging course by Mrs. Reynolds held on four wednesdays. 2 members entered the NY flower show and won 3rd in an arrangement class - Schluter and Campbell. Members served as hostesses at NY show. Club had spring and fall flower show.
1966
GCA Zone IV meeting held in Princeton with Adra Fairman our chairman. Meeting was co-hosted with the G.C. of Princeton. Some meetings held in Princeton university's newly opened art museum. Keynote speaker, Ian Mcharg, spoke at Lowery House,
1967
Fall, joint flower show with the G.C. of Princeton. Members slide show as a program.
1968
First scheduled work meeting at Rockingham. Club entered a window box at Philadelphia flower show. There was a club bus trip to the show. Joint flower show with the G.C. of Princeton.
1969
Joint meeting with the university league garden club. Club bus trip to Rutgers greenhouses and to the duke gardens.
1970
Bus trip to Bryant Park flower show in New York. Members served as hostesses at the show.
1971
Bus trip and meeting at the Brooklyn botanical gardens
1972
Member appointed zone iv chairman - Patton. First second-generation club president. Angie Austin, daughter of Dorothy Fleming, president 1941-1943
1973
Member appointed director of G.C.A. - Patton.
1974
Trip to New Hope for a program at the Rosade Bonsai Studio.
1975
Mini G.C.A. sone iv meeting. 1st prize and 2 second prizes in arrangements. Members served as hostesses at Bryant Park show.
1976
Club started project of planting chambers walk in Princeton. Members cared for beds. Member entered Bryant Park show and won first in arrangement class - Delafield. Morristown flower show - two 1st prizes in horticulture.
1977
Two members worked together on an arrangement at the Philadelphia flower show and won third place - Delafield and deckman. One member served as an aide at the show. Member entered the Bryant Park flower show in NYC and won second place in the decoupage class - Fairman.
1978
Club held workshops on artistic arrangements and vegetable gardens. Contribution was made to American Land Trust whose project in NJ is the Pine Barrens.
1979
Autumn in the air - a joint community flower show with the G.C. of Princeton. Club invited guests to an evening meeting with Ralph Snodsmith as our speaker.
1980
Club won a first prize at the Philadelphia flower show in the new challenge garden class. The chairmen of our entry were Austin and Flemer. GCA Autumn in the Atrium Flower Show invited Austin and Flemer to run the horticulture classes. Member appointed G.C.A. Zone IV chairman, two year term - Fleming.
1981
Two members invited to be chairmen of challenge garden class at the Philadelphia flower show for next 2 years - Austin and Fleming
1982
Club voted to incorporate.
Member appointed G.C.A. Zone IV chairman for two year term - Austin,
Two members asked to be in charge of staging for G.C.A. autumn in the atrium flower show in NYC - Austin and haring.
1983
Tax exempt status for club approved in April.
1984
Club entered Philadelphia flower show room class Shangri-La, a place of your dreams. The title of our room was a slow boat to china. Won 1st prize and the Delaware valley florists' trophy - arrangers - bever and Rulon-miller.
GCA Zone IV meeting in town with the G.C.. of Princeton. Our chairman - Audrey gates.
1985
GCA zone meeting hosted by the G.C. of Trenton. 1st prize in abstract arrangement class - Austin.
1986
Joint meeting with g. Clubs of Princeton and Trenton for lecture by betty brown on art in bloom. Flower show staged in the Boston art museum.
Club bus trip to longwood gardens at Christmastime,
1987
**********GCA ANNUAL MEETING IN ZONE IV ************
One of 3 co-chairmen of meeting - Austin, joint meeting with g. Clubs of Princeton and Trenton to hear and see Herb Plankinton in the subject of arranging flowers.
1988
Club entry in Philadelphia flower show garden class, won 1st prize and PHS Silver Bowl with our Australian garden, chairmen of entry - Austin and Henkel.
1989
**********HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO CLUB**********
Member invited to be vice chairman of all artistic classes at the Philadelphia flower show for 2 year term - Austin
​
1990
Club entry in the room class at the Philadelphia flower show - theme of class was music. Our title - Flamenco, won 2nd prize and the Delaware valley florists' trophy and the G.C.A. certificate of excellence. Entry chairmen - Dawes and Hopper. Arrangers - Delafield, Dyckman and Haring.
Member asked to be G.C.A. flower show area vice chairman - Austin, area - NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA.
Member elected chairman of NJ Committee of the G.C.A. - Austin.
1991
Joint meeting with the G.C. of Princeton. G.C. of Trenton held a G.C.A. small flower show in state museum, 1st in arrangement - delafield.1sts in horticulture - Austin and Haring. Member asked to be co-chairman of arrangement workshops for Philadelphia flower show - Austin. Club became involved in isles Trenton inner city improvement program.
1992
Member was one of 18 ladies from across the country to create an exhibit in class America Discovered at the Philadelphia Flower Show invitational class - Austin. Entry was on CBS Good Morning America tv show and written up in NY Times - Austin.
Two members entered defined space class in Philadelphia - title size and shape. Entry won 1st prize and the GCA certificate of excellence - Austin and Delafield.
GCA Zone IV meeting in Englewood - flower show results : arrangement 1sts Austin and Delafield. Delafield also won best arrangement in show. Horticulture 1sts - Austin and Pontius. Club won the zone award for the most points earned in the flower show. Barbara Spaulding Cramer zone flower arrangement award - Austin.
1993
Member invited to be advisor for open and defined space class at Philadelphia flower show - Delafield.
May flea and flower market fund raiser,
1994
GCA zone iv meeting in town with co-hostess G.C. of Princeton. Co-chairman - Hayes

of Princeton since 1939

Stony Brook Garden Club

Archives & History

Mary Brophy - The Rockingham Project

Past Presidents

A Living History: Anne Gates on Friendship, Tradition, and Change at Stony Brook Garden Club (2025)

Marie Hemphill - Looking Back on 25 Years as a member of Stony Brook

Club Highlights 1939 - 1994

Club History

Past Presidents

Club Highlights 1939 to 1994

Member's Memories

MARIE HEMPHILL : Looking back on 25 years as a member of Stony Brook

ANNE GATES : From teas served with white gloves to digging in the dirt (2025)

BJ BOOTH : Friendship, fun times and serving the community (2025)

MARY BROPHY: The Rockingham Project

Video - Remembrances of our Stony Brook Garden Club Past

Reflections by Members 2008

Meeting Minutes

May 2025

April 2025

March 2025

February 2025

January 2025

December 2024

Club Year 2020-2021

Club Year 2019-2020

Club Year 2018-2019

Club Year 2017-2018

Club Year 2016-2017

Club Year 2015-2016

Club Year 2014-2015