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NantucketGarden Club Awards

Settle Into TheirNew Home

by James Lansingfor the Egan Maritime Foundation

For over forty years, the Nantucket Garden Clubhas visited many of the back roads and home gardensaround the island and chosen the best blooms for recognition.Over that same time span, the club’s collection of over 20 creatively and traditionally designed awards and trophieshave been seen only by the membership and awardees, mostlyon the day they have been awarded, and locked away untilthe next summer; all of that has now changed. The Egan Maritime Institute has agreed to house the Garden Club’s hard-earned hardware in the elegant main hall of the institute’s Coffin School location.

The imposing 1852 Coffin School, a neo-classical brick structure on Winter Street, just off Main Street, offers a perfectsetting for the Garden Club’s awards. Upon entering the hall,

one is struck not only by its over-all elegance, but also by the benevolent gaze of school founder Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin,peering out from an ornate, gold-framed portrait mounted onthe back wall of the stage. The large classic chandelier (positioned between the cheerful contemporary globe lamps),seems to recede into the ceiling, but its glow bathes the roomin subtle light. Rodney Charman’s vivid narrative paintings ofNantucket history line both sides of the room, while paintingsby local artist Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin hang on one side ofthe rear wall. An informative history of the Coffin school occupies the other, and the entire wall above is dominated bythree imposing plaster friezes depicting Greco-Roman scenes,reinforcing the school’s original philosophy that Nantucket children would be immersed in classical history. A grand pianocompletes the room’s elegant ambiance.

photo opposite page by Jill Sandolephoto on this page courtesy of Nantucket Garden Club

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Many hours go into classifying the daffodils for judging. Ifit were not for the dedicated volunteers, the show would

not be the tremendous success that it is!

photos on both pages by Jill Sandole

Worker Bee AwardThe Worker Bee Award is given to amember of the Nantucket Garden Clubwho has performed many good deeds ofservice over the years. This award isgiven to a member who is often workingbehind the scenes, some one you can always count on to get the job done. Thisgoes to a member who pollinates seedsof good will by being available and willing to engage in club activities thathelp our club strengthen and grow.

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Barbara Jones, coordinator of the Garden Club’s 2008awards, presented the proposal to the Egan Maritime Institutein the spring of 2008. It was the club’s idea that the awardsshould be available for public viewing, and for the yearly winners to have a place to show their awards to family members, friends, and seasonal visitors. “Many of our members have always wanted a home for our awards; theyare truly very beautiful.”

Egan Maritime Institute Executive Director Jean Grimmer wasopen to the idea and the process moved forward. CuratorJames Lansing worked out the idea with Jones and found aplace in the Coffin School’s main hall. “I wanted the trophiesand awards out where they would be seen by our visitors. Theyhave beautiful design qualities. However, I was also concernedabout leaving them out in the open,” Lansing said. Several of

the awards include ivory and gold in many cases, and theirfragility would be not only an open invitation to theft, but alsoan accident waiting to happen. It was decided that they wouldbe placed in locked cases, but that the museum interpreter onduty would always have a key to open the case and allow visitors a better view of the winners and the workmanship.

The Garden Club’s awards include three categories: the Daffodil Awards, the Green Thumb Awards, and the AnnualMeeting Awards. The Daffodil Awards are decided duringDaffodil Weekend, the official opening of the season on Nantucket. The Green Thumb Awards are for over-all beautyin gardening, while the Annual Meeting Awards are bestowedon club members who have dedicated themselves to betteringtheir community and the Garden Club. The Annual MeetingAwards are among the more prestigious recognitions.

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Laird V. W. Williams AwardFor the best miniature daffodil in show, given in her memory by

her children Polly Warner, Maggie, Peter and Jimmy Finch.

A carved miniature daffodil under a 3 1/4” glass dome sits on an 11” six-sided wooden pedestal with names of the winners recorded on ivory medallions. Established in 1993, it has space for 13 more names.

Anne Sanford AwardPresented for the best standard daffodil.

The award is a 9” Revere-style pewter bowl on a six-sided (5 1⁄2”) mahogany pedestal with 30 oblong ivory plaques withthe winner’s name, date, and the name of the bloom. An ivorycharm was awarded until 1992. The base reads: James F. Chase-base, Nancy A. Chase-ivory. Established in 1975.

Jean MacAusland EaselFor the best flower arrangement given in

memory of Mary Armstrong.

The 10” mahogany easel with an ivory stretcher has an ivory(7 1⁄4” x 4 7/8“ x 1⁄4”) rectangle which depicts the islandand the route of the daffodil day car parade. The bordershows many different kinds of daffodils. The back of the ivoryrectangle lists the names of the winners. The top of the easelhas a small rectangle of ivory which reads: In memory ofMary Armstrong”. It was established in 1975; there arespaces for many more entries.

Honors Bestowed

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photos on both pages courtesy of Nantucket Garden Club

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Jean MacAusland AwardFor the best collection of five stems.

The overall height of the award is 12”. It is a woodenbase 5 ½” square, 4 ¼” high with a brass daffodilstanding on top. There are brass plaques which havethe names of the winners engraved. Established in1997.

Mary Armstrong AwardPresented for the most creative arrangement in

memory of Beverly Lindley.

A mahogany or rosewood box (3” high x 6” long x 4 ½”deep)with a scrimshawed 4” oval ivory medallion on top decoratedwith yellow and white daffodils. On the inside of the lid on anivory plaque (4” x 2 ¾”) is inscribed: “The Mary ArmstrongAward for the most creative arrangement in memory of Bev. Lindley”. On the inside of the base names of the winners are inscribed on an ivory plaque. Inscribed on the bottom of the boxare the names: Nancy A. Chase 1980 Nantucket Island. Established in 1980.

Twenty-fifth Anniversary AwardGiven by Mary D. Malavase and awarded for

the best collection of three cultivars.

The award is a 9” Revere style-silver bowl inscribed: 25th Anniversary Award, Daffodil Flower Show. Names have been inscribed since 1999. The base is inscribed: Given by Mary D.Malavase.

On Only the Best!

visit www.nantucket.org/gardenclub/to view past winners of these awards

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On reading the names on the trophies, familiar names, past andpresent, fill the spaces. The seven Daffodil Awards have beendominated by Rosemary Howard, Grace Noyes, Lizzy Skokan,Marie Levesque, and Mary Malavase. The ten Green ThumbAwards also have their share of gardeners who have learned tocommunicate with the Nantucket soil; they include Susan Burke,Marilyn Whitney, Christine Wilcox, and Betty Webb. There isnothing wrong with a little healthy competition, especially whenit leads to the beautiful flowers and gardens these horticulturalistsproduce year in, year out. The Annual Award is a one-timerecognition of a member who has furthered the aims of the Nantucket community, along with the Garden Club’s aims and goals.

The Garden Club trophy and award collection is open to thepublic between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week at theCoffin School. Since the awards are housed in the museum,there is an admission charge that allows visitors to see the2009 seasonal exhibit, and the award collection.

The admission ticket can also be used for admission to the EganMaritime Institute’s Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum,which is nestled on Folgers Marsh on Polpis Road, a mere 3.5miles outside of Nantucket’s downtown area.

Visit the Egan Marine Institute (4 Winter Street • 508-228-2505)

to view the entire trophy collection!

“Best In Show” award for the Junior Flower Show

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photo on this page courtesy of Nantucket Garden Club