Following a story I wrote a few weeks ago entitled Upbringing Key to the Joy of Gardening, I received a letter from a kind woman from Kansas, Kim Hayworth, who happened to be the granddaughter of one member of the Elgin Garden Club I had referenced in the article. In her letter, she shared she had acquired a collection of keepsakes that gave much more detail about the woman’s organization.
She wrote, “About ten years ago, I was visiting my Aunt Mary (Wirges), and on her table was a collection of my Grandma Wirges’ “yearbooks” from her days in Elgin’s garden club. I thought they were so charming. Over the last ten years, I often remembered those yearbooks with fondness and curiosity. So, at a recent visit to my Aunt Mary’s home, I inquired about the yearbooks and she passed them along to me. I thought you might find these details to be very interesting.”
In her letter, she explained that the official name of the garden club was Elgin’s Hoes and Hose Garden Club. This woman’s club was organized on July 17, 1957 and soon included a yearbook which covered the events of each year.
Mrs. Hayworth shared that the opening of each book included the club motto: “God liveth in the garden,” as well as the club flower, bird, and colors. The preface of each yearbook included this conservation pledge, “I give my pledge as an American to save and faithfully defend from waste the resources of my country, it’s soil and minerals, it’s forests, water and wildlife. Conservation is: use without waste.”
For the full story, see this weeks issue of the Elgin Review.
