Special Friends – Gone, But Not Forgotten
The JC Raulston Arboretum, family, and friends lost two very special people this spring, Julia Skinner and J. W. "Willie" York. Both of these remarkable individuals were unique in their passion and support of the JCRA.
Julia Wood Skinner
We lost this special friend on May 24, 2004. Julia was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, but she lived most of her life in Raleigh. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and Phi Beta Kappa. She was an ardent devotee of opera, and she traveled to most parts of the world, usually to see opera but also to visit natural areas, such as Peru's Macchu Picchu and the Amazon.
Julia's love of gardening was equal to her love of opera. She was a long-term member of the Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) and regularly attended the meetings. She was one of the initial members (November 1980) of the Friends of the North Carolina State University Arboretum (now the JC Raulston Arboretum) and came faithfully to the lecture series, always eager to see if she had won a plant in the drawings. She looked forward to each year's Connoisseur Plant list and regularly attended the fall plant giveaways, bringing along her little red wagon to gather up the goodies. Julia never learned to drive, so she depended on friends to get her to the NARGS and Arboretum events. She remained active to the end, attending her final Friends of the Arboretum Lecture just last December (Frank Cabot).
In 1996, Julia created a charitable gift annuity to benefit the JC Raulston Arboretum and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) at NC State University. Through her foresight and this generous planned gift, the JCRA will have funds for many important programs and functions. There will be a special lecture named in her memory, a full-time sponsored intern for summer 2005, the front reception desk in the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center named in her honor, a gift to benefit the JCRA Endowment for Excellence, and much more.
What a tremendous impact this planned gift will make for the JC Raulston Arboretum!
James
Wesley "Willie" York
We lost this special friend on March 2, 2004. Willie York shaped this community through his dedicated leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy. Through his tremendous vision, he created and developed Raleigh's Cameron Village more than fifty years ago.
Willie was an ardent supporter of the JC Raulston Arboretum. In 1995, the York's funded The Necessary (the much-needed public restrooms) located in the Arboretum's eastern gardens. Additionally, he encouraged government officials to pass legislation to appropriate funds for an educational building at the Arboretum. In a bold action, he made a $300,000.00 challenge during the 1999 Gala in the Garden, and his pledge was fulfilled in January 2001. Of course, in September 2002, we dedicated the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center. Today, visitors, JCRA members, faculty, and students enjoy the York Auditorium that Willie and his children dedicated to his late wife, Lib York.
In 1996 and in 1999, Lib and Willie York served as Honorary Chairs for the annual fund-raising event, Gala in the Garden. His daughter, Phyllis York Brookshire, was the 2002 Gala Chair, and she currently serves on the Arboretum's Board of Advisors. His son and daughter-in-law, Smedes and Rosemary York, were the 2003 Honorary Chairs for the Gala in the Garden. Willie's family carries on this tradition of leadership and support.
The community has shown their deep appreciation, love, and friendship for Willie through the more than $11,000.00 that the Arboretum has received in memorial gifts. Among other things, these gifts will be used to name a special lecture in his memory, a full-time sponsored intern for summer 2005, and a gift to enhance the JCRA Endowment for Excellence.
Additionally, four of Willie's dear friends, Bill Burns, Tim Clancy, Dick Daugherty, and Hal Hopfenberg, (aka "The Bachelors") paid special tribute to their friend through a sponsored pocket garden in memory of Willie.
Memorial and Tribute Gifts
What better way to remember or honor a loved one, friend, business, or organization than with a special memorial tribute gift? There are many opportunities - from an engraved brick, to a garden bench, or a named garden. Your gift to sponsor a garden is used to directly support the JCRA. This is a gift that will keep on giving - to the many people who visit the Arboretum and to the special loved one(s) you choose to honor!
Bequests & Planned Gifts
Just as our dear friend, Julia Skinner made a special planned gift, you have the opportunity to specify a gift by writing your will or living trust to include the JC Raulston Arboretum as a beneficiary. A planned gift is an incredible opportunity to capture tax-saving benefits now and leave a rich legacy for the future.
Note: This article originally appeared in the Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum Newsletter (Volume 8, Number 2).