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H/4/1989-1-

April 4, 1989; Lea House

It had been a tantalizing spring day that preceded our
meeting at Lea House on April 4. Mostly cloudy with the sun
breaking through every now and then to make the temperatures
in the 60's seem more proximate to the 70's than the 50's.
After a winter that seemed bland and undramatic we were
pleased to be starting a new season of growth and
productivity. A case in point were the garden and grounds
of our hosts, the Pruess' who had poised the earth's
fecundity on a spring board waiting for a bit more sun and
warmth to burst forth resplendently.

After the winter's string of lesser meals the evening's
spread was all the more excellent and well tended by guests
Lou Simpson and Rita Kuma, 2 senior students at Sandy Spring
Friends School.

As the meeting followed we noted with heavy hearts that
during the winter Elizabeth Ligon passed away. This unique
lady had been a longtime member of the Society as well as a
sturdy, twinkling, and magnificent member of the community.
At 94 we all deserve a sleep but those left behind will miss
her spark and are sorry to have her go. In the same vein
the community will miss Raymond Havens who died on March
31st - a couple weeks short of his 98th birthday. Although
a brief member of the Horticultural Society Raymond Havens
was an individual of conscience and strength who figured
very prominently in our Friends Community.

We continued with the previous meeting's minutes being read
and corrected.

Next the by-laws were read as per custom.

Following that the Nominating Committee proposed that the
Society's next 2 years should be officered by Caroline
Hussman as President, Nancy Preuss as Vice President, and
Peter Austin as Secretary Treasurer. With no other
nominations the choices were approved rapidly.

Our reader for the evening was Elizabeth Thornton whose
selection was from the 1987-88 Winter edition of the Herb
Quarterly. The article was titled "Tulipomania". It
concerned tulips and the Dutch of the late Renaissance. The
article told of an outrageous fad that obsessed an
ordinarily sober and financially prudent people. Vast sums
were spent, fortunes were speculated, and ruin was
experienced by those importing, propagating, trading and
sometimes accidentally eating tulips.