The Columbia Garden Club Keeps Columbia Beautiful

The Columbia Garden Club, founded in 1926, and its Foundation, established in 1983, have been filled with anticipation for the last 10 years as we have planned and executed our 100th anniversary celebration. Our Centennial president Rhoda Paschal, a third-generation
member of the Columbia Garden Club, led us in the remarkable journey to celebrate this milestone. The theme of “Century in Bloom: Cultivating Gardens, Hearts, and Legacy” began with Margaret Axson’s thoughtful preparation of our annual yearbook.

In September, we launched our celebration in grand style with a kickoff luncheon chaired by Libby Anne Inabinet and Emily Bedenbaugh. Our spectacular fashion show traced styles from 1926 to the present, honoring our Past Presidents. Tables adorned with fine linens, complemented by Caroline Matthews’s exquisite topiaries, created a meaningful and elegant beginning to this significant year.

October brought us to the South Caroliniana Library, where Verd Cunningham organized a beautiful tribute to our archives. Scrapbooks, records, and memorabilia reminded us of the rich history entrusted to our care.

In November, fellowship flourished at our Bluegrass and Barbecue gathering at Blossom in Five Points, where Mitzi Daniels and Bess Thomas delighted
us with nostalgic holiday tablescapes.

December was filled with festive service and beauty as we decorated the State Christmas Tree led by Melissa Prickett and Anita Turnage. Bruce Vollnogle of TimberTech was honored with SC’s Order of the Palmetto for his twenty years of delivering (gratis) the State Christmas Tree. A lovely holiday tea at the Governor’s Mansion, featuring all the decorations inspired by Melanie Crawford and Mitzi Daniels, showcased the theme “Put a Bow on It,” with each room designed by past chairmen, creating a truly stunning experience.

In January, we gathered at the Garden Council for an informative program on Honeybees in the Garden by Pam Robinson, welcoming guests and new faces.

February’s Centennial Brunch, chaired by Caroline Matthews in Satterlee Hall at Trinity Cathedral—our original meeting place on February 27, 1926 —was breathtaking. A bronze plaque was installed in the Hall to commemorate the event. With elegant details of sterling silver, fine china, and florals, it was elevated by David Hodges’s compelling presentation on our club’s history. Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann presented our club with a proclamation honoring our 100th
anniversary.

March offered a time of reflection and gratitude with a memorial service at Rutledge Chapel on the USC Horseshoe, honoring members across the past century. Led by chairman Amy Louthian, the service was deeply meaningful. It was followed by a reception hosted by USC First Lady Ero Amiridis in the Memorial Rose Garden on the USC Horseshoe. Mrs. Amiridis was honored with a plaque in the garden with gratitude for her generous and unwavering support of our Club and the Memorial Rose Garden. We are especially grateful to
former president Yvonne Russell and the Russell Foundation for the generous gift of a beautiful garden structure, the Rose Pavilion. The Pavilion is the crowning glory of the cherished garden, now lovingly restored.

In April, we gathered in the South Carolina Memorial Garden adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion for the introduction of new members and officers and the passing of the gavel to incoming president Jane Shuler. We then celebrated the unveiling of the Sarah Smith Boylston statue, our gift to the state of South Carolina, with remarks and history shared by Stephanie Cordum and Anne Bristow. Governor Henry McMaster spoke about the significance of civic beautification and what the Garden Club has meant to the City of Columbia. That evening’s Gala at the Governor’s Mansion—with flowers, music, and fellowship—was a fitting and magnificent culmination of our Centennial year.

Our 100th-anniversary celebration was 10 years in the making, spanning development, planning, and execution. The 23-member Centennial Committee, led graciously and tirelessly by Chairman Jane Suggs, included Sabrina Barr, Anne Bristow, Nancy Bunch, Stephanie Cordum, Julie Crowder, Verd Cunningham, Joan Danforth, Lib Foster, Jamie Harpootlian, Kappy Hubbard, Amy Louthian, Caroline Matthews, Katie McKenzie, Liz McMillan, Mackie O’Keefe, Rhoda Paschal, Liz Roberts, Jane Shuler, Sharon Shuler, Susan Shuler, Trudy Wilson, and Leslie Wrenn. Special commemorative items were produced, including a president’s pin, a charm with the new CGC logo introduced this year, and a poster featuring past CGC yearbook
covers.

The South Carolina Senate recognized our Centennial with a Resolution “To recognize the Columbia Garden Club on the occasion of its centennial anniversary beginning on February 27, 2026, and to wish the club many years of continued success”.
Also, the South Carolina House of Representatives honored us with a Resolution
“To recognize and celebrate The Columbia Garden Club on the occasion of its centennial anniversary and to honor its significant contributions to the beautification and enrichment of
the city of Columbia and the state of South Carolina”.

The homily delivered by Memorial Rose Garden Chairman Amy Louthian at the Memorial Service at Rutledge Chapel on March 17, 2026, captured the essence of our Centennial year:
“Gardens teach us patience. They remind us that growth takes time, that not every effort bears fruit immediately, and that tending is an act of hope. Those who went before us understood this, and we are ever grateful for their legacy. Over the past hundred years, they gave their time, their attention, and their creativity. In peacetime and in times of war, through depressions and in prosperity, they created beauty as an act of generosity, and taught us that small acts, done faithfully, could shape a place for generations. Every tradition we continue,
every act of service we offer, is a living memorial. We are stewards, not just of gardens, but of a tradition of care. Like those who went before us, may we leave the world a more beautiful place for those who follow. For all they gave, and for the beauty that still speaks their names, today we give thanks for the Columbia Garden Club members who came before us.”

This has been a year of challenge, inspiration, and deep reflection. We have honored our past while strengthening our bonds for the future. As we conclude this Centennial celebration, we carry forward a legacy rooted in beauty, service, and enduring friendship.

A brief history of recent Columbia Garden Club projects follows:
The Memorial Rose Garden on the Horseshoe of the University of South Carolina is dear to the hearts of our membership and honors our deceased members. In 2025, the Columbia Garden Club Foundation Board met and voted unanimously to award the USC Memorial Rose Garden $15,000 in 2024-2025 and $10,000 in 2025-2026 to continue the refurbishment of this beautiful garden.

April 25, 2024, an effervescent group of CGC supporters gathered at the USC President’s home to enjoy an evening fundraiser hosted by university president Michael Amiridis and his wife, Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis. The unique event entitled “Bubbles, Bourbon & Beamer” had a special video invitation, valet transportation, a gourmet menu with bourbon pairings, and sparkling conversation with President and Mrs. Amiridis and University of South Carolina’s head football coach Shane Beamer and his lovely wife Emily. Generous attendees contributed $25,000 to refurbish the Memorial Rose Garden in preparation for CGC’s 100th anniversary celebration.
The Columbia Garden Club Foundation’s project for 2023-2024 was a grant of $2,000 to the Friends of the Sandhills Children’s Garden in northeast Columbia for the pollinator garden. Foundation funding was also made available for the replacement of lights for the State Christmas Tree located each holiday season in front of the State House in Columbia.
For our project to beautify the community for 2022-2023, the CGC Foundation approved $2,500 for the City Hall Fountain replanting to be combined with $500 from our Arbor Day allocation, giving the city a total of $3,000 for this project. This fountain on Main Street was a $25,000 gift to the city from our Club to construct the fountain in celebration of the 75th anniversary of our founding.
In the 2021-2022 club year, for only the second time since its inception, the Columbia Garden Club Foundation received a generous donation of $50,000 to its principal from Jane Patterson Suggs. The donation honored the memory of CGC Honorary Life Member Kathleen Kay Lightsey. Kathleen’s many contributions to the club included serving as president (1982-83) and establishing the Columbia Garden Club Foundation, Inc. in 1983. This heartfelt contribution from dedicated CGC member Jane will help strengthen the financial position of our Foundation for years to come. Additionally, Jane Suggs and Anne Bristow (co-chairmen of the CGC Centennial Project Committee), assisted by Kappy Hubbard and Verd Cunningham,
were pleased to announce that CGC has commissioned sculptress Maria Kirby-Smith to create a bronze statue of CGC founding member Mrs. Sarah Boylston. The sculpture was installed in the mall of the Governor’s Mansion Complex in celebration of our 100th anniversary.
In the early years, the club planted hundreds of trees in the community and established flower gardens in both public and private places. An ongoing project is the Memorial Rose Garden on the Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina. In 2002, the garden was
dedicated to Norma Cannon Palms, former USC First Lady and honorary member of the Columbia Garden Club. Also, the Garden Club was a founding member of the Historic Columbia Foundation and Columbia Green and has supported them with contributions to their projects. The Club’s oldest project is the semi-annual Plant Exchange, which was founded in 1927. It continues today to draw a large number of participants from around the Midlands. The Exchange has recently featured native plants to share with the community.
The Columbia Garden Club also continues to participate in the city’s Arbor Day ceremonies each year by donating trees. The name of this project changed in 2003 to The Janie Dent Memorial Arbor Day Project to honor in perpetuity the club’s Foundation benefactor.
The Columbia Garden Club Foundation has contributed over $650,000 to community
projects, including $50,000 in expenses for the Memorial Rose Garden in 2024 through 2026.
For our Centennial gift to the state of South Carolina in 2026-2027, we invested $100,000, including the bronze statue of Mrs. Boylston and its installation.
The initial funding for the Foundation was generated by the sale of property bequeathed to the club by Miss Janie Dent in 1950. Over the past years, the Club has sponsored various projects to raise funds for the Foundation, including the Tour of Homes, fashion show and luncheons, wine tastings, the Garden pARTy, and our April 2018 Beautiful by Design symposium. As a special project, the book A Collection of Gardening Notes for the Midlands
of South Carolina, which was published to celebrate the club’s 75th Anniversary in 2001, was sold as a fundraiser for the Foundation. Two additional printings were made in 2005 and 2012.
In 2019, our calendar sales of A Floral Filled Year won a national award from the NGC, Inc.
With income from these projects and investments, the Foundation has made contributions to projects that embrace the purposes and objectives of the Columbia Garden Club. Over the years, recipients of major awards have included the Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home, Columbia Museum of Art, Riverbanks Zoo’s Botanical Gardens, the South Carolina State Museum, Carolina Children’s Home, EdVenture, the City of Columbia, and the Memorial Rose Garden on the USC campus.
In 2006, the Foundation awarded the City of Columbia’s Tree and Appearance Commission funds to cover the initial cost of the Treasured Trees Project. Additionally, in 2006, the Foundation donated funds for the creation of a permanent stand system for the
State Christmas Tree. In 2012, the Columbia Garden Club Foundation fulfilled its five-year $100,000 commitment to support Historic Columbia’s renovation and restoration of the garden at the newly interpreted Woodrow Wilson Family Home.
Members of the club decorate the Governor’s Mansion each Christmas. In December 2015, SCETV produced a wonderful video of CGC decorating the Mansion. In 2017, the Governor’s Mansion Foundation dedicated a bench in the Boylston Garden in honor of the Club for decorating the Mansion for the holidays for 35 years. In 2003, the Club assisted with the decorating for the Governor’s Inaugural Celebration. In 2003 and 2004, the Columbia Garden Club began decorating the State Christmas Tree with lights and colorful boxes representing presents under the tree. In 2005, the club partnered with BellSouth, now AT&T, to decorate the tree with new ornaments and install an electrical connection located to serve both the City of Columbia and the State House. In 2009, the Columbia Garden Club partnered with the Garden Club of South Carolina to obtain and decorate the State Christmas Tree in 2010. In 2012, the Foundation provided funds to purchase 11,000 energy-efficient LED lights for the State Christmas Tree. On October 4, 2011, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin recognized the Garden Club of South Carolina, the Columbia Garden Club, and the Downtown Breakfast Optimist Club with a proclamation for dedicated service to the City and State by providing the State Christmas Tree.
In the early spring of 2014, the CGC Foundation donated $25,000 to the restoration of the entrance to the Sarah Porter Smith Boylston Memorial Garden in Columbia. The Memorial Garden was established in 1945 to honor World War II veterans. It was the first Memorial Garden of its kind in the United States. This notable garden was designed by Loutrel Briggs and is owned by the Garden Club of South Carolina.
In the spring of 2016, the Foundation voted to donate $13,529 to Historic Columbia for the purpose of redeveloping their garden entrance at the Robert Mills House. In May of 2017, the Foundation granted Historic Columbia $11,000 to improve plantings and pathway infrastructure at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home, and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden received $2,750 for a sustainable gardening demonstration in the Children’s Garden and Vegetable Garden.
The Foundation’s contribution to the community in 2018 included $8,000 to the Saluda Shoals Foundation for their park’s inclusive playground and $10,000 to our Centennial Fund.
In 2021, the Foundation gave $5,000 to the Governor’s Mansion Foundation for a bulb
display on the Mansion grounds as part of its major renovation of this prominent garden. The cheerful daffodils were a bright spot to enjoy outside in the challenging pandemic years. The seasonal return of these vibrant flowers continues to be a welcome sight in the garden.
The club is honored to have won many awards through the years on national, state, and local levels for its work with conservation efforts, civic beautification, historic preservation, flower arranging, community service, education, and horticulture. Our greatest reward is seeing beautiful surroundings for all to enjoy and the promise of continued commitment to
the beautification of Columbia and encouragement of our gardening in our community.