Centennial Celebration
October 2024 – June 2025
Rooted in History- Planted in the Present- Branching into the Future
The Garden Club of New Haven’s Centennial year-long celebration reflected the Club’s core mission for the past 100 years. This was a time for proud reflection on our achievement-filled past and happy anticipation of all we can do in the future. This was also an opportunity to recognize and salute our many civic partners in the New Haven community.
That the Garden Club of New Haven has been able to stay relevant and resilient over these past ten decades is a testament to the integrity, diligence, and far-sightedness of each and every one of our members. During our Centennial year, we saluted that spirit -past, present and future.
GCNH Centennial Committee
Chair: Susan Ehrenkranz; Co-Chair: Carol Ross
The committee was comprised of twenty club members and seven honorary members.
Chair: Susan Ehrenkranz
Co-Chair: Carol Ross
Activities and Events
ACTIVITIES
- Centennial Logo – created by member Amy Estabrook
- Archival Moments. – a series of twenty-five stories of the club’s history
- Garden Book – published an 88-page, 4-color book highlighting members’ gardens
- Fund for the Future – established to provide scholarships for students and community projects
- History Book – published a 52-page, 100-year history book
- Partner Planting Project – recognized. 40 past partner organizations by planting shrubs at their locations
EVENTS
- Kickoff Meeting at Broken Arrow Nursery, October 2024, with guest speakers
- Florence Bradley Birthday Celebration, May 2025, honoring our first president at Grove Street Cemtery
- Shaw-Swords Lecture, November 2024, at Hotel Marcel in New Haven, program title: Public Green Spaces: An Urban Intiative, moderator: Colleen Murphy-Dunning, speakers: Sarah Charlop-Powers, Sophie vanHaselberg, Lynn Kelly, Eric Sanderson
- Day on the Green, May 20, 2025
- Flower Show at New Haven Library
- Booth on the Green – seed giveaways, workshops, floral arranging
- Arboretum and History tours of Grove Street Cemetery
- Documentary Film, New Haven Museum, “New Haven Green: A Heart of a City” by Karyl Evans
- Tour of Phelps Triangle Park
- En Plein Air Painter Event on New Haven Green
- New Haven Landscape History, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Audubon Park of the Arts Concluding Celebration with Mayor Elicker
- En Plein Air Art Exhibit, June 25, 2025, DaSilva Gallery – an art exhibit off 22-artists inspired by the historic nature of the New Haven Green
- Concluding Event/Birthday Celebration/Environmental Heroes Award, June 2025, New Haven Lawn Club – celebration concluded with speakers and the establishment of the Environmental Heroes Award. Six individuals were recognized for their contribution to the health, beauty and sustainability of the environment.
Centennial Logo
Created by member, Amy Estabrook
Archival Moments
Highlights of our history and past members presented at GCNH meetings from fall of 2021 to spring of 2024.
Click on the buttons below to view.
Fund for
the Future
GCNH Celebrating
One Hundred Years
Centennial Planting Project
These are the three shrubs that were planted at our 40 current and past partner organizations.
Left to right : Kalmia latifolia ‘Sarah’, Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’; Ilex verticullata ‘Sunsplash’
Kickoff Meeting at Broken Arrow Nursery
October 9, 2024
Florence Bradley’s Birthday Celebration
May 13, 2024
On May 19 2024, the Club celebrated the birthday of Florence Bradley, first president of the Garden Club of New Haven (GCNH). The event marked the kickoff of our exciting Centennial Celebration. Approximately forty GCNH members met at Florence Bradley’s grave site in Grove Street Cemetery to sing one of her hymns, share in cupcakes and lemonade. GCNH member Millie Legenhausen spoke about the history of both the Grove Street Cemetery and the vision of Florence Bradley. Two mountain laurels (Kalmia Sarah) from Broken Arrow Nursery were planted at the site. Great thanks go to Mimi and to Maggie Gottschalk for their work in arranging this day. It was a beautiful and meaningful event for the Club.
The Cherry Shaw Swords & Virginia Thorne Shaw Annual Lecture
Public Green Space: An Urban Imperative
November 13, 2024
A panel on the importance of public green spaces with a focus on looking towards the future.
Speakers: Sophie van Haselberg of the New York Restoration Project, Lynn Kelly, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, Sarah Charlop Powers, Executive Director of the Natural Areas Conservancy and Eric Sanderson, landscape ecologist and Vice President for Urban Conservation Strategy at the NYBG. Moderated by Colleen Murphy-Dunning, Program Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability, Urban Resources Initiative. Will Ginsberg, Community Foundation, opened the panel.
GCNH Day in Our City – En Plein Air Event and Informational Tent
May 10, 2025
Celebrating our close ties with the New Haven Green and our city, working in conjunction with the Proprietors of the Green. A Flower Show at the New Haven Library, children’s workshops, seed give-away, en plein air painters, showing of our film about the New Haven Green at the New Haven Museum, tour of the Grove St. Cemetery, dedication of a bench & time capsule at Phelps Triangle, planting at Audubon Mini Park and more.
Arboretum and History Tours at Grove Street Cemetery
May 10, 2025
Tour of Phelps Triangle & Documentary Film at New Haven Museum
May 10, 2025
Bench Donation at Phelps Triangle
April 17, 2025
Beinecke Library – New Haven’s Landscape Exhibit
May 10, 2025
Flower Show at the New Haven Library
May 10, 2025
En Plein Air Reception at DaSilva Gallery
June 5, 2025
Concluding Celebration at the Audubon Park of the Arts
May 10, 2025
Concluding Event / Birthday Celebration / Environmental Heroes Award; New Haven Lawn Club – June 2026
Photography by Harold Shapiro
Environmental Heroes
Nancy Alderman, Posthumously
President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI)
She was a past president of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment; a past member of the National Board of the Environmental Defense Fund; past member of the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Task Force; recipient of the Clyde Fisher Award of the Environmental Law Section of the Connecticut bar; and the recipient of the New England Public Health Association’s /Mood Award, given to individuals for outstanding contributions in the area of environmental health. Nancy was the Founder and President of Environment and Human Health, Inc., a nonprofit Organization of physicians and public health professionals dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harm.
Miles Alderman accepted the award posthumously on behalf of his wife, Nancy Alderman.
Colleen Murphy-Dunning
Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Ecology and the Urban Resources Initiative, both part of the Yale School for the Environment.
She has also been instrumental in the establishment and the continuing work on the New Haven Memorial Garden of Healing.
Charles Negaro & Nancy Dennett
Founded Atticus Bookstore and Café in 1980 and Chabaso Bakery in 1995.
Charles served on the board of Common Ground School/New Haven Ecology Project and was a founding member and former chairman of the board of New Haven Farms which merged with the New Haven Land Trust to form Gather New Haven in January 2020. His wife, Nancy Dennett, has worked hand in hand with Charlie on all of his projects. We are delighted to make this a joint award.
Stacey Spell
Stacey Spell, a retired city homicide detective, currently president of the West River Neighborhood Services Corporation, a nonprofit organization with a goal of creating a green peaceful community through events and community engagement. Stacey sits on the Board of Directors of Elmseed and of the Dwight Development Corporation. He is an active tutor at New Haven Reads and the chairman of the Deaconard of Pitts Chapel U.F.W. Baptist Church
Photo credit: Harold Shapiro Photography
Vincent Breslin
Cofounder of the Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies at Southern Connecticut State University.
Vince and his students have done exceptional work in coastal and environmental research to clean up the Sound.