Proposed by: Fort Orange Garden Club, Zone III
Seconded by: a member of Three Harbors Garden Club, Zone III

Humorous, knowledgeable and possessed of indefatigable energy, Joanne Lenden, Fort Orange Garden Club, has championed the mission of GCA for thirty years. 

At the club, zone and national level, she worked with, led and mentored a generation of GCA horticulturists, judges, photographers and historians. In every position, she provided creative leadership, systemic achievement and lifelong friendship. As a GCA horticulture speaker, she traveled to clubs in every zone, a Johnny Appleseed for subjects ranging from plant propagation and conditioning, flower arranging, flower shows, photography, judging and the world of GCA. In every encounter, she added vignettes from GCA’s past, always encouraging clubs and zones to carefully archive their history. She published and distributed little booklets for every club and project that crossed her path. She authored Flowers for Bouquets: Conditioning Plant Material for Flower Arranging, a resource valued by growers and arrangers everywhere. As GCA Historian, she interviewed past leaders and collected, researched and delivered a carload of documents for the GCA archives. Joanne is an emeritus judge of great experience in both horticulture and photography. She has won numerous GCA awards, including two Freeman Medals. She has been a tireless advocate and worker for the GCA Plant Exchange, for Photography, for a broader participation in Visiting Gardens, for the GCA Judging Program, for GCA’s history and, especially, for flower shows. Joanne’s greatest gifts to the GCA must be her enthusiasm and generous heart, her understanding of the importance of friendship and, above all, her absolute joy in gardening.