Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn as a Horticultural Innovator | Page 18

People and Happenings
Mount Auburn also welcomes new staff to two other
departments. Since April, Melinda Moulton is our new
Accounting Manager. She brings to our staff a solid skill
set and extensive experience as a Staff Accountant, self-
employed CPA, and business manager. Her most recent
position was Assistant Controller at CAST Inc., a non-profit
research and development company in Wakefield, Mass.,
that provides learning opportunities for all individuals,
especially those with disabilities, through UDL (Universal
Design for Learning). Cemetery Services also has a new
Representative, Edie Shapiro. Edie’s background includes
editorial and fundraising work. Outside of Mount Auburn,
she writes poetry and is a member of The Boston Minstrels,
a group that sings at homeless shelters.
her a valuable colleague. She has also been engaged in the
larger community outside our gates, both personally and
professionally, proving to be a valuable ambassador for the
Cemetery.”
Natalie is proud of her accomplishments at Mount
Auburn, mostly in the number of volunteers that have
been recruited who can do the work in documenting our
structures through the Monument Inscription Workshop.
When she first recommenced the program, there was no
one helping to decode and transcribe fading inscriptions,
and now there are approximately 15 volunteers who are
capable of endeavoring in that work.
“I will miss the beauty of the landscape and the passion
of the people who work and volunteer here,” Natalie said
weeks before she departed. “Because there are so many facets
of Mount Auburn, there’s always something new to learn.”
Natalie’s departure is a bittersweet one, and while she will
be missed by all who have had the pleasure of collaborating
with her, we welcome back Gus Fraser, former Director
of Preservation & Facilities Maintenance. Gus had been
Preservation & Facilities Planner Natalie Wampler
here for just under seven years, and he hired Natalie right
said good-bye to her Mount Auburn family this August.
before he left to relocate to North Carolina in 2006 so that
Her husband, Keith, accepted a post-doctoral position
his wife could take a research position at Research Triangle
at the University of Illinois and the couple has relocated
Institute. While in North Carolina he ran his own company
there. Natalie graduated in 2005 from Maryville University
doing hands-on restoration
in St. Louis, Mo., and in 2008
and preservation work. The
from Boston University with a
work
M.A. in Preservation Studies.
ranged from monument
She was hired in May 2006 as
repair in historic cemeteries
a Preservation Intern, and was
to carpentry and wood-
later brought on full-time in
working in old houses.
her current position.
He utilized experience
We have been able to discover
gained at Mount Auburn
much about our landscape
working with historic cast
through Natalie’s diligent and
and wrought iron fences
meticulous work. During the
during a project preserving
Preservation Initiative in 2007,
two mid-19th century
she was able to determine
fences at the Old Chapel
that we have approximately
Hill Cemetery in Chapel
45,000 monuments on the
Gus Fraser and Natalie Wampler contemplate the preservation of a
Hill, N.C. Much of his
Cemetery grounds; she created monument.
preservation work was for
a full inventory of all our path
historic house museums
and avenue signs as well as
or other non-profit organizations charged with the care of
our veteran markers; and she resurrected our Monument
historic structures.
Inscription Workshop, teaching volunteers how we decode
“Although I grew up in North Carolina and have strong
deteriorated inscriptions so that they can help to record
ties
to the area, we missed New England and looked forward
and preserve this valuable information before it is lost to
to
one
day returning,” he remarked during his first week
the elements.
back at Mount Auburn. “I feel very fortunate to have been
“In her relatively short time here, Natalie’s contributions
chosen to fill the Director of Facilities position, and I am
to our success as a department, and to Mount Auburn as a
excited for the opportunity to return to an organization
whole have been tremendous,” says Vice President of Pres-
full of dedicated and creative people committed to the
ervation & Facilities Bill Barry. “Her rigorous analysis,
preservation and enhancement of this vital and unique
disciplined organization, and collaborative manner made
historic landscape.”
Hello Good-bye:
Employment at Mount Auburn
Comes Full Circle
16 | Sweet Auburn