New Search
IMPLEMENTATION FACILITATED THROUGH PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP <br /> Coy In 2001, implementation of the plan was accelerated when local citizen Jerry Blakely read <br /> about the concept of a native plant garden in the Hendricks Park Forest Management Plan. As <br /> Blakely's wife Mary Rear Blakely was dying or cancer, she and Blakely saw the garden as a <br /> way to memorialize her lifelong love of gardening as well as her commitment to learning, <br /> sharing and teaching. By establishing the Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden Fund with the <br /> Oregon Community Foundation and recruiting a team of volunteers and in-kind contributors, <br /> Blakely has been able to match City funding and enable the garden to become a reality much <br /> sooner than expected. Saturday's ceremony will include a dedication of the garden to his wife <br /> who has since died. <br /> Blakely also introduced noted landscape architect Jin Chen to the project team. A friend and <br /> student of Mary Blakely, Chen was project coordinator for the Portland Classical Chinese <br /> Garden and is currently project manager and cnief designer for a 12-acre garden being <br /> developed at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in California. <br /> At Saturday's dedication, Chen will unveil his garden designs and vision for future <br /> developments at the park. For more information about Chen's work, visit <br /> www.huntington.org/ChineseGarden.html. Chen is available for interviews prior to 1 p.m. on <br /> Saturday only. <br /> ill <br /> L, <br />