John Williams, the Garden's longest-serving member, informed the Board that he is leaving the RBVG. While none of us should have been surprised, we were taken aback, so much so that we gasped when we received the news. We all thought he would be gardening until he turned 90, and he did. Unbeknownst to us, John celebrated his 90th birthday last year.

 

John joined the Garden at age 42, and one of the first things he planted in his plot was grapevines to create a natural border. Those grapevines are still as strong and beautiful today as they were forty-eight years ago when he began his garden plot. He served as our Board President for ten years and was revered as a President Emeritus. John introduced new and younger members to our Garden's history and generously shared gardening tips with all of us. When the Garden faced the threat of being eliminated from the community, John helped lead the charge to save it—a battle that we ultimately won. Wearing his red baseball cap and his checkered garden shirt, he greeted every member with a wave and a smile as he walked up the path to his plot. He was always generous with his praise for plots that were exceptionally maintained and equally candid with his complaints to the Board regarding those that weren't.

 

We should all be as fortunate as John to be able to garden well into our nonagenarian years. He took pride in being a member of our Garden community, and we took pride in calling him our friend and garden neighbor. John, you will be missed.