Togetherness

It is a great honor and pleasure to be on the program and become a part of this 50th Anniversary Conference. However, it was with a great amount of reluctance and hesitation that I accepted Dr. Himelick’s invitation, realizing my 12 years of attendance is short in comparison with your 50 years of organization. I feel togetherness has played an important role in our 50 years of growth and success.

Being the wife of an arborist, one whose greatest interest has been and always will be that of preserving and saving our trees, has made me aware of how important our trees are for our environment. During my experiences within our company, I have found that people are eager to learn and know what makes trees and plants live and die. They wish very much to seek the counsel of competent persons capable of preserving their trees. At club meetings and social gatherings, sooner or later interest in nature becomes a subject of conversation. As you know, we women quickly realize who Mrs. Jones had to do her landscaping or tree work. If she was well pleased, the news gets around, and vice versa.

It is a well known fact that 75% of the wealth today is more or less controlled by women.

I am proud to say our clients are of long duration and are very understanding of slow service due to weather conditions or of labor shortage. They generally wait for us.

In small business organizations, similar to ours, I would suggest the young wives become involved in their husband’s work, even if for only one or two days a week. I find it makes for good public relations with our clients.

Most of you know that a major number of our female clients are members of garden clubs, civic organizations, and active in public fund drives. Your knowledge and ability are often the subject of conversations at these get-togethers.

The International Shade Tree Conference being a composite body of allied horticultural functions, has become a great influence in our environmental research growth. Our women’s organizations have also made strides toward this improvement. Cries for help are constant.

Your love of nautre and good environment has greatly influenced the American public today. America needs people like you, capable of preserving the past, improving our present natural heritage, and carefully planning for the future. By so doing, we will help prepare the way for those who follow for a greater and healthier environment.

Nothing is so constant as change itself. Our trees, flowers, mountains, and waterways are all legacies for us to enjoy. We must be ever alert to assist in our preservation of these treasures.

I’m sure all of you will agree that being a part of this organization is a rewarding experience. It has been for me and I look forward to our being together for many years to come! I’m sure we will all remember our 50th Conference as a landmark in our history.

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