Sweet Auburn Fall 2010

Inside this Issue…

President’s Corner

A History of Horticultural Innovation by Dennis Collins

Continuing Mount Auburn’s Horticultural Legacy

Fall at Mount Auburn by Jennifer Johnston
Excerpts from Joseph Story’s Consecration Address and Eliza Lee Cabot Follen’s poem, “Mount Auburn in Autumn,” accompany Johnston’s photographs of the season.

Fall Foliage Pull-Out Guide
This profile introduces the visitor to: sugar maples, katsura, Korean mountain ash, sourwood, beautyberry, Japanese stewartia, dawn redwood, Fothergilla, witchhazel, and sassafrass. 

Stories Behind the Stones: Stones of Sentiment in a Cherished Landscape by Brian A. Sullivan
A common bond is shared between Louis Agassiz, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, Fanny Parnell, Fanny E. Lane, and Thomas Johnston Homer: their monuments are all profoundly personal, evoking a sense of home and place.

“Song Sparrow” by Valerie Gillies
Gillies, the 2005-2008 Edinburgh Makar, was inspired to write her poem following a visit to the Cemetery.

The Written Landscape
Our Monument Inscription Workshop, staffed by volunteers, allowed us to archive the quickly-fading inscriptions that give us insight into the lives of those interred here.

Personalized Cremation Services at Mount Auburn by Tom Johnson
In 1900, Mount Auburn President Israel M. Spelman reported the growing popularity of cremation. Today, it is more popular than ever, resulting in creative and personalized memorial services for those who choose cremation.

A Farewell to Mount Auburn’s First Lady of Fundraising
Priscilla “Piper” Morris retires after six years at Mount Auburn.  As the first development officer at the Cemetery, Piper quickly became Senior Vice President of Development, improving our fundraising efforts and leaving behind a strong legacy.

People & Happenings: Welcome Jane M. Carroll at the New Vice President of Development; Mount Auburn’s Board of Trustees Appoints New Members; Turn, Turn, Turn…Staff Changes at Mount Auburn; Hello Good-Bye: Employment at Mount Auburn Comes Full Circle; Volunteer Profile: Irene Dygas, A Breath of Fresh Air; Mount Auburn Unveils Its Interactive Kiosk; The Lynch Foundation Matches Gift for Story Chapel; Preservation Hosts Community Groups; Growing Collections, Planting Ideas; A Botanist’s Bicentennial: The 200th Anniversary of Asa Gray’s Birth; Remembering One of Our Own; Interment & Memorial Services of Note

Did You Know…?

Beautifying Mount Auburn: John Winthrop’s Philanthropic Commitment

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