Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture SPRING 2004 NEWS Remembering Our First Friend of Horticulture Harriet B. Creighton Wellesley College Class of 1929 Wellesley College: Associate Professor of Botany: 1940-1952 Professor of Botany: 1952-1974 Named the Ruby F.H. Farwell Professor of Botany: 1955 Retired in 1974 as Faculty Emerita, Ruby F.H. Farwell Professor of Botany The Harriet B. Creighton Room in the Visitor Center was dedicated in 1992 to honor Miss Creighton’s years of service to the Botany Department and her ongoing support for the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Fleischer; Wellesley College Archives A Farewell to Harriet B. Creighton by Mary D. Coyne, Ph.D., Wellesley Class MA ’61 Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College Wellesley College has lost a long-lived In 1940, she returned to Wellesley standard of work which was established alumna, well-loved professor, and college as a faculty member in the Botany by Miss Hallowell, the founder of the historian with the passing of Harriet B. Department and frequently met department. .” Harriet caught Miss Creighton, Ph.D., on January 9, 2004 at with her former professor, Margaret Ferguson’s enthusiasm for the Hunnewell the age of 94. Harriet graduated from Ferguson, by then a Professor Emerita. Arboretum, Alexandra Botanic Gardens Wellesley College in 1929 and obtained Six years later in the fall of 1946, on and the Ferguson Greenhouses as premier her Ph.D. from Cornell University the recommendation of the Botany educational sites and became committed in 1933 under the direction of the Department and Harriet Creighton, the to maintaining them as such. Even plant geneticist, Barbara McClintock. department chair, the College’s Board after her retirement, Harriet continually Together they published the seminal of Trustees voted to name the Wellesley monitored their status, providing paper on crossing-over in maize. Miss greenhouses for Margaret Clay Ferguson. historical background and personal Creighton stayed on for another year at Margaret Ferguson wrote President support when needed. Cornell as an instructor, and then took Horton how “deeply touched” she was Harriet retired in 1974 as the Ruby F. H. up a teaching position at Connecticut by the honor. She also wrote, “It gives Farwell Professor of Biology after 30 years College. During that time, she worked me great satisfaction that one of my own on the faculty but remained involved on plant hormones with colleagues at the girls is now Chairman of the department. continued on page 11 Connecticut Agricultural Station. I am sure she will be true to the high 1 As you read this, the world outside is three weeks of January. I reflect on the Notes from starting to awaken from its seasonal rest rich history it represents and give thanks and we look forward to early spring. that it is still with us after 129 years the Director However, I am writing in mid-January at the College. I notice some of the by Dr. Duncan Himmelman, Director as we here in the Northeast US are plants in the greenhouses have large, Wellesley College Botanic Gardens experiencing blisteringly cold winter new labels, thanks to the engraving [email protected] days. Despite the arctic temperatures, the machine purchased last year with funds Alexandra Garden and the Hunnewell from the Friends. This winter Tricia Arboretum are picture-perfect, Diggins, WCBG Horticulturist, will be exquisitely dressed in their winter details. making labels for many of the trees and shrubs in the Hunnewell Arboretum and Eschewing the Alexandra Gardens. Our goal is to have outdoors, I recall that the labels in place for Reunion 2004. In my grandmother said time, we hope that new labels for the we must always give greenhouse collection will be made by thanks for even the staff or Friends’ volunteers in our ongoing smallest of pleasures, efforts to improve the quality which I do every time I of our visitors’ experience. step into the Ferguson Greenhouses these Further to the topic of giving thanks, days and envelope today, as I was engaged in my morning myself with the office routine, a message relaying the warmth, beauty and passing of Harriet Creighton came my fragrance of tropical way. This saddened me, as I’m sure it did plants. Walking the legions of people who knew her as through the variously classmate, teacher, colleague, and friend. themed greenhouses, Though I have known her only two and Oaks in the Alexandra Botanic Garden ready and waiting for Spring to arrive. Galen Stone Tower in the background. I take note of the a half years, I am thankful that I had the labels in every pot, good fortune of having met Harriet. I indicating that our surely came to understand what it was 2003 Curatorial Intern, that people found so engaging in Harriet: Henry Kesner, had her strength of character, extensive accomplished so much knowledge of plant science, and constant in the months he was here. The labels insistence on moving forward and have the accession number and scientific improving what we have before us. name of the plant on them, and each number has been entered into our plant Harriet was a repository of important inventory database, thanks to Henry. We historic information surrounding the have approximately 1,800 documented Botanic Gardens, garnered from her plants distributed throughout the houses, personal experiences here as an entering information that was unavailable to us freshman in 1925 to her retirement from Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture even 6 months ago. Next, we are going the Botany faculty in 1974 and through 106 Central Street to sort the data and determine the to last spring when she led a tour of the Wellesley, MA 02481-8203 number of plant families, genera, and greenhouses for the new class of docents. species represented by those 1800 plants. She was insistent that I learn the history 781-283-3094 At that time, we will be better able to of the Gardens and provided me the [email protected] build our collection and “fill gaps” based literature to do so. She even quizzed me Dr. Duncan Himmelman, Director on faculty needs for both classroom on how much I’d learned! Wellesley College Botanic Gardens and research purposes. This exacting WCFH Faculty Co-Chair work has been funded by the Friends of In fact, Harriet’s dedication to the Horticulture, and we are all thankful for Gardens and its immeasurable value to Editorial Committee: their generosity. the Wellesley College community of Carole M. Jansson Ely ’79 faculty, students and staff were imparted Nancy Dean Kingman ’53 Continuing my tour of the Ferguson to me on every occasion we met. She Elizabeth Reece Greenhouses, I pass the Durant Camellia was always concerned that the Gardens Nancy Webb already in full flower during these first continued on page 14 2 Earth’s How the northeast section of the American Chemical Atmosphere Society (NESACS) combined National Chemistry Week (NCW) activities with a tour of Wellesley College’s and Beyond greenhouses to excite young minds about science by Jean Fuller-Stanley, Professor Department of Chemistry Wellesley College NESACS 2004 Chair Many of you are asking yourselves, 1. A variety of hands-on discovery what does National Chemistry Week experiments related to the theme have to do with Botany, Horticulture “Earth’s Atmosphere and Beyond”. or the Greenhouses for that matter? 2. Two showings of the Phyllis A. The week of October 19-25, 2003 was Brauner Memorial Lecture, by “Magic designated National Chemistry Week Show” Chemistry Professor Bassam by the American Chemical Society. Shakhashiri. Local chemistry communities all over this country used this as an opportunity 3. A visit to Wellesley College’s to capture the curiosity of young minds Greenhouses. and to invigorate young people about the wonders and benefits of science. These activities represented a wonderful The NESACS kicked off NCW with an synergy of the Sciences, in particular entire day, October 19th 2003, of fun Chemistry and Biology. The chemical yet stimulating science experiments for experiments involved making such kids of all ages to explore at Wellesley things your own humidity testers, UV College. The day’s events/activities light sensitive bracelets and clouds from Students doing hands-on experiments in the included the following: a demonstration kit. The gases generated Science Center. by many of the experiments are directly related to those generated and or used by the plants of the greenhouses. This provided the children with concrete applications of the inter-dependency of Despite dreary New England weather, earth’s atmosphere to what we do and cold and overcast, over 400 kids of all how we live. For example, hands on ages—grandparents, parents and their experiments generated carbon dioxide children—participated in the numerous from reactions of typical household NCW experiments, attended the items, such as vinegar and baking soda, lecture-demonstration, and visited the (to the chemists, acetic acid and sodium greenhouses on October 19th. While hydrogen carbonate). The childrens’ not all were able to experience the visit to the greenhouses enabled them wonders of sunlight in making their to experience firsthand plants that use UV Light sensitive bracelet, they did carbon dioxide to generate oxygen. have direct application in the testing of their Humidity Tester. The organizing During the Chemistry Magic Show committee of NESACS National Professor Shakhashiri “fogged-up” the Chemistry Week is pleased that we were room by generating more gaseous carbon able to extend the learning about Earth’s dioxide from dry-ice. In addition to Atmosphere by incorporating visits to Professor Bassam Shakhashiri working his those experiments, the children made Wellesley College’s greenhouses. “magic.” paper planes and learned through experimentation the relationship To learn more about the Northeastern between materials from which the paper Section of the American Chemical is made and the ability of their paper Society, visit their web site: planes to fly.