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

A publication of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-547-7105 www.mountauburn.org Editorial Committee Bree D. Harvey, Editor Vice President of External Affairs Lauren S. Marsh, Managing Editor Communications, Grants & Events Coordinator Jennifer J. Johnston, Photo Editor Media & Imaging Coordinator David P. Barnett, Contributing Editor President & CEO, Mount Auburn Cemetery William G. Barry, Jr. Vice President of Preservation & Facilities Dennis Collins Horticultural Curator Candace Currie Director of Planning & Sustainability Tom Johnson Family Services Coordinator Piper P. Morris Former Senior Vice President of Development Sean J. O’Regan Vice President of Cemetery Services Brian A. Sullivan Archivist Natalie Wampler Preservation & Facilities Planner Margaret L. Winslow Curator of Historical Collections Designer Elizabeth A. Bonadies Printer P+R Publications Cover Photo: Col. Henry Coffin Nevins monument (Lot 4659, Eagle Ave), created by Beaux-Arts architect, Stanford White, and preeminent “American Renaissance” sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Photo by Jennifer Johnston. Trustees of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mary Lee Aldrich, Secretary, Cambridge, MA Clemmie L. Cash, Chair, Wellesley, MA Thomas C. Cooper, Watertown, MA Caroline Loughlin, Treasurer, Weston, MA Sean McDonnell, Cambridge Caroline Mortimer, Vice-Chair, Cambridge Ann M. Roosevelt, Cambridge Honorary Trustee of the Friends President’s Corner The theme of this issue of Sweet Auburn is certainly touching my own “sweet” spot. Having come to Mount Auburn 17 years ago as Director of Horticulture, I have truly enjoyed being part of a great team charged with preserving and enhancing this magnificent landscape and continuing a long tradition of horticultural innovation. In the feature article Dennis Collins does a superb job of highlighting some of the historical accomplishments and current challenges of our horticultural program. Hardly a day goes by that I am not amazed at (and Dave Barnett grateful for) the dedication and creativity of the Horticulture Department staff as they continue to achieve high standards of landscape maintenance despite budget cutbacks. President’s Corner Sweet Auburn We are all very excited about the plans for a new Horticulture Center, described on page 7, which will bring us to even greater levels of innovation. Most exciting is the fact that the Horticulture Center has been designed to achieve LEED Platinum, the highest standard of certification possible from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program of the U.S. Green Building Council. This reflects the enthusiasm and commitment of our entire staff and Board of Trustees to maximize our energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in all that we do throughout the organization. We will only be able to realize our vision for this project with the generous support of our friends and the broader community. I have no doubt that plans for a new Horticulture Center will become a reality. Under the leadership of Senior Vice President of Devel- opment Piper Morris, the groundwork has been laid for a successful capital campaign – Mount Auburn’s first ever. Having retired in June (p.14), we are sorry to see Piper go but grateful for all that she accomplished in her six years at Mount Auburn. I am very pleased to welcome Jane Carroll to the Mount Auburn team as the new Vice President of Development. As described on page 15, Jane brings a wealth of experience, and I look forward to working with her to accomplish our many goals. Speaking of goals, we could not achieve them and could not continue to carry out the many programs and services that Mount Auburn provides to our clients and visitors without the dedicated and talented staff in all departments, including our growing group of enthusiastic volunteers like Irene Dygas (p.17). And truly, our diverse horticultural collections are just one of the many facets that make Mount Auburn such a unique treasure. The elements of art and architecture, history, wildlife, and the lives of those interred here make up the interconnected layers that we can use to “read the landscape.” These aspects have all been addressed in the supplementary articles of this issue through poetry, images, inscriptions, and stories. I hope you will plan a visit to the Cemetery sometime this fall to enjoy the spectacular foliage (make sure to bring your Fall Foliage Pull-Out Guide on p. 10) and to reflect on all of the things Mount Auburn is and very soon will be. Enjoy this issue of Sweet Auburn. David P. Barnett, President Susan W. Paine, Cambridge 2 | The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 to assist in the conservation of the Cemetery’s natural beauty and to promote the appreciation of its cultural, historic, and natural resources. Organized in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable trust, the Friends seeks financial support from its members, other individuals, foundations, corporations, and public agencies. It receives gifts for educational and inter- pretive programs and materials for the public, specific cultural projects, and operating support for horticultural rejuvenation and the preservation of the historic monuments, structures, and archival artifacts and records. The Friends has over 1,300 active members. Sweet Auburn pg.1 pg.11 pg.14 As a correction of the feature article in the Spring 2010 issue of Sweet Auburn, on page 4., the surname Emmet is spelled as such and not as “Emmett.” And in addition, the family lot in which Schlesinger is interred is the historic Cushing family lot.

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