Master Gardeners Celebrate 2016 Successes

On December 5, 2016, Kaufman County Master Gardeners met at the First United Methodist Church in Forney for their annual Awards Appreciation dinner. Hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Ralph Davis, the dinner was attended by over 50 Master Gardeners and guests.

Master Gardeners contributed over 3,820 volunteer hours this year. The estimated value, according to the State Comptroller, was over $90,000. Sixteen Master Gardeners contributed over 100 hours each. They were Lisa Nalls, Michele Reeves, Kim Kozelski, Samantha Keats, Hildegard Smith, Brad Ackerman, Frances Holmes, Sandy Stahlman, Duddly Hargrove, Inez Williams, Tamara Stahlman, Jim Burt, Nancy Bowman, Renee Word, Dianne Kaufman and Rebecca Morrow.

Master Gardeners Pam Corder, Richard Kozelski and Sandy Stahlman received pins for sixteen years of service. Frances Holmes, Ada O’Steen and Larry Tigert were awarded for fifteen years of service. Delores Tigert received her ten-year service pin.

Eighteen new Master Gardeners, who were trained in 2015, were certified after completing 50 hours of volunteer service in 2016. They are Beverly Curtis, Johnnie Hargrove, Kris Kumar, Sandy Malone, Wendy Mitchell, Don Mzyk, Vickie Rader, Nina Rangel, Marcia Rayne, Darrell Scott, Rita Scott, Vicki Stecher, Marie Theobald, Marilyn Walls, Linda Wells, Ester Williams, Linda Young and Robert Yowell. In addition, two Master Gardeners, Renee Roysdon and Susan Loos came to Kaufman County from other associations.

Kaufman County Master Gardeners won second place in the medium association category for Educational Program with our 2015 Fall Seminar, “Gardening in Fall and Winter.”

At the end of the meeting, officers for 2017 were installed. They are Tamara Stahlman, President; Duddly Hargrove, President-Elect; Jim Burt, Treasurer; Inez Williams, Secretary and Dianne Kaufman, Educational Enrichment Coordinator.