Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Maggi Young on January 09, 2017, 12:32:31 PM
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Very sad news of the death of Verna Pratt in Alaska.
Jaime Rodriguez writes :
" A great botanical light of Alaska has gone out. My mentor and dear friend Verna Pratt died this evening. I feel so privileged to have known her, and learned from her, and strive to be more like her. So kind, generous, and knowledgeable. I imagine her husband Frank greeting her on a sunny, flowery mountain trail. He's been waiting there for her."
Verna - and her late husband Frank - were well known and greatly respected by SRGC members- they gave great talks around the world and had lead many people on amazing hikes to see the wildflowers of Alaska. She will be much missed by many friends around the world.
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After a miserable end to 2016 when the Aberdeen SRGC group lost our oldest member, Margaret Harper at 104, and our former Convenor and an enthusiastic exhibitor, Bob Maxwell ( no longer living in this area), we returned from the funeral of
another dear pal, a former Aberdeen Show Secretary, Wilf Holmes today to the sad news of Verna Pratt's passing.
On top of the other SRGC losses in 2016, including Viv Cahambers and too many others , one does begin to think that all the news is bad.
It is a great comfort, however, to be able to consider all the many people over so many years who have been taught and enthused by these friends. We have much to be thankful for - but I still hope that 2017 is not full of such losses.
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For those who don't know much about Verna and Frank Pratt... here are a few links...
http://alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/name/verna-pratt/ (http://alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/name/verna-pratt/)
https://thealaskarange.com/tag/verna-pratt/ (https://thealaskarange.com/tag/verna-pratt/)
http://aknps.org/History.php (http://aknps.org/History.php)
http://anchorageparkfoundation.org/2012/07/1103/ (http://anchorageparkfoundation.org/2012/07/1103/)
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Sad news indeed. So fortunate to have spent time with this pioneer of Alaska rock gardening this summer in Cordova and learned so much about my own backyard. Who knew we had wild apples growing about? Verna... God Speed to a mountain meadow where the sun does not set.
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Just a few months ago Ian Young was delighted to visit Alaska at the invitation of Mayor Clay Koplin of Cordova and the Alaska Rock Garden Society and was so pleased to visit Verna and see her again - and today we all mourn her passing
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Touching to see the many tributes posted for Verna in Facebook
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Bobby J. Ward has written an obituary of Verna for the NARGS website :
https://nargs.org/news/2017-01-10/verna-pratt-obituary (https://nargs.org/news/2017-01-10/verna-pratt-obituary)
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The memorial service for Verna Pratt will be at 2 pm Sunday at the Lucy Cuddy Hall on the campus of UAA.
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On the 18th March the Alaska Rock Garden Club will hold an evening in memory of Verna Pratt. Members are invited to share their recollections of that lady and Frank, and all they did for plants in Alaska .
A research greenhouse at Alaska Botanic Garden will be named in honour of Verna.
A Facebook page in memory of Verna has been set up :
From Angelina Michelle :
Hi there. I am Verna Pratt's granddaughter, Angelina. Verna
was a master gardener of Alaska who also had many ties outside.
I've created a page for her timeline and to support her ongoing remembrance. This will be a permanent page and may very likely offer even more at some point in the future. So I'm trying to reach out to as many people as I can and get the word out to those who know her.
Please click the link below to follow Verna's timeline and support her ongoing remembrance. There's also been a group created for people to gather in, which can be found by searching Legacy of Verna Pratt.
Verna E. Pratt - Alaska's own Wildflower Wizard & Mountain Goat @verna.e.pratt
https://m.facebook.com/verna.e.pratt/
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Verna Pratt obituary in the magazine 'Alaska'
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