On Friday the Wesson Garden Club planted a tree at the Wesson Walking Park & Playground to celebrate National Arbor Day and honor four past deceased members.
The club’s president, Dixie Thornton, told those gathered for the event that those honored “will be with us always and we will remember them fondly.”
She then spoke to the family members of the four beloved garden club members now memorialized by the maple tree, describing each deceased member and the numerous qualities that made her stand out. “We decided on a Crimson Queen Japanese maple tree because all of these women were queens in their own ways,” Thornton said.
The four women were Mrs. Belle Cowen, Mrs. Marjorie Cox, Mrs. Beverly King and Mrs. Dottie Mercier.
The club also dedicated an established tree in memorial to the many Wesson Garden Club members from 1934 to 2021.
They are as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Rea, Mrs. J.J. Wesson, Mrs. Katy Furr, Mrs. Dot Furr, Mrs. Desima Rea, Mrs. Dan McGert, Mrs. Farris Anderson, Mrs. Bonnie Anderson, Mrs. J.W. Curtis, Mrs. W.N. Williams, Mrs. John Coleman, Mrs. Lee Broome, Mrs. H.I. Mullican, Mrs. W.F. Williams, Mrs. R.E. Middleton, Dr. Modena Peterson, Mrs. G.E. Cowen, Mrs. Lucy Assink, Mrs. Lenora Hunter, Mrs. Ruth Slay, Mrs. Sars Johnson, Mrs. Evelyn W. Oswalt, Mrs. Allene Williams, Mrs. Gladys Stringer, Mrs. Helen Mullen, Mrs. Betty Martin, Mrs. Louise Ray, Mrs. Myrtis Leonard, Mrs. Peggy Castilaw, Mrs. Margaret Farmer, Mrs. Minnie Smith, Mrs. Dorothy See, Mrs. Thelma Lusk, Mrs. Belle Cowen, Mrs. Marjorie Cox, Mrs. Beverly King and Mrs. Dottie Mercier.