sweet auburn
sweet auburn
A publication of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery
Andrew Gambardella, Editor Associate Director of Grants & Communications
Mount Auburn Executive Leadership
Matthew Stephens President & CEO
Ronnit Bendavid-Val Vice President of Horticulture & Landscape
Beth A. Brown Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Gus Fraser Vice President of Preservation & Facilities
Bree D. Harvey Vice President of Cemetery & Visitor Services
Helen Telfer Vice President of Finance, People & Culture
consultant Robin Hazard Ray printer P + R Publications
trustees of mount auburn Cemetery
Eliza S. Anderson Chair, Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery
Todd Basnight Rebecca Gardner Campbell
Lindsay Leard Coolidge, Ph. D. Secretary
John E. Corcoran Treasurer
Dean T. Hara Chair, Board of Trustees,
James F. Hunnewell, Jr. Patricia B. Jacoby designer Elizabeth Bonadies cover photo Corinne Elicona
Patricia A. Jao Paul Kuenstner Philip L. Laird, FAIA James N. Levitt Christina C. Mann Sean McDonnell Susan Eldredge Mead Anthony P. Morris Caroline Mortimer Niels Peetz-Larsen Richard B. Peiser, Ph. D. Franklin A. Reece
In this issue
1 Welcome 2 A Place to Ponder 10 Photo Essay: Growing Season 12 A Fond Farewell to Four Remarkable Trustees 14 Staff Spotlight: Rie Macchiarolo 15 Member Spotlight: Jennifer Markell 16 2025-26 Artists-in-Residence 19 Massachusetts Historical Society Tomb Opening 20 Curator’ s Corner: Historical Collections & Archives 21 Curator’ s Corner: Horticulture
A sure sign of spring: Spotted salamander( Ambystome maculatum) being observed at Consecration Dell by herpetologist Joe Martinez.
580 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-547-7105 www. mountauburn. org
OUR MISSION Mount Auburn Cemetery inspires all who visit, comforts the bereaved, and commemorates the dead in a landscape of exceptional beauty.
OUR VISION We envision a world that celebrates life’ s seasons, preserves natural beauty, and remembers human stories.
See more online at www. mountauburn. org