Chicago Botanic Garden Winter 2019

OFFICERS Robert F. Finke, Chair Jean M. Franczyk, President & CEO DIRECTORS Dana Anderson Russell F. Bartmes Martha D. Boudos Terrence R. Brady Jennifer K. Brown, ex o cio Neville F. Bryan John H. Buehler Michael J. Busch Heidi B. Capozzi David R. Casper Robin Colburn Jill M. Delaney James W. DeYoung Timothy A. Dugan Peter M. Ellis Jean M. Franczyk, ex o cio Steven J. Gavin Arthur J. Gibson Nancy Gidwitz Christopher E. Girgenti Ellis M. Goodman Charles V. Greener Joseph P. Gromacki Gillian Growdon William J. Hagenah Jonathan S. Holloway Jane Irwin Gregory K. Jones Peter Keehn R. Henry Kleeman Judith H. Konen, ex o cio omas E. Lanctot M. James Leider Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr. Anne Leventry Diane vS. Levy Laura M. Linger Anne S. Loucks Michael J. McMurray Christopher Merrill William E. Moeller Gregory A. Moerschel Lois L. Morrison Jennifer J. Neighbours, ex o cio Jane S. Park Katie Parks, ex o cio George A. Peinado Toni Preckwinkle, ex o cio Bob Probst Arnold Randall, ex o cio Mary B. Richardson- Lowry John C. Robak James Robinson Ryan S. Ruskin Robert E. Shaw Andrew Sinclair omas E. Skilling Maria Smithburg Pam F. Szokol Catherine M. Waddell Andrew J. Warzecha Susan A. Willetts Melvin F. Williams, Jr. Nicole S. Williams Michael R. Zimmerman LIFE DIRECTORS J. Melfort Campbell Barbara Whitney Carr Gary P. Coughlan Peter R. Crane Suzanne S. Dixon omas A. Donahoe Peter B. Foreman Ralph F. Fujimoto James J. Glasser Caryn L. Harris John L. Howard Pamela K. Hull omas B. Hunter III Posy L. Krehbiel William H. Kurtis Donna La Pietra Daniel I. H. Linzer Josephine P. Louis Mary L. McCormack Jeanine McNally William A. Osborn Homi B. Patel Susan L. Regenstein Anne O. Scott David Byron Smith Susan K. Stone Richard L. omas Howard J. Trienens Ernest P. Waud III Arthur M. Wood, Jr. We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Living in the Chicago area, we experience a full range of weather conditions: wet springs, cold winters, and hot sum- mers. is year alone we had the coldest April and wettest May and June in Garden history. As our climate continues to change, we expect more of these weather extremes to impact our environment. Scientists in the newly named Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Sci- ence and Action are at the forefront in understanding how these shifts a ect plants and their pollinators. ose weather extremes also present challenges to the gardens and buildings on our campus in Glencoe. For instance, last winter’s polar vortex damaged plants throughout our living collection. We removed hundreds of plants, such as the boxwood hedges behind the Cres- cent Garden’s annual beds, because of winter burn and continue to monitor the long-term e ects on other stressed plants, shrubs, and trees. We do routine maintenance on our buildings to forestall any major repairs brought on by weather events, and Fred Spicer, executive vice president and director, keeps a long list of Garden projects that need attention. Even so, our 47-year-old infrastructure frequently re- minds us of its age. We’ve repaired the 43-year-old original roof on the Regenstein Center many times, but at roofs only last so long. And we have many at roofs. Your contributions to the Annual Fund provide vital resources to help maintain this beauti- ful Garden. It helps us x those roofs and do scheduled updates such as replacing the wood- en arbors at the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden and the worn masonry in the Helen and Richard omas English Walled Garden. anks to your support, we can continue to make a visit to our Garden enjoyable for all. I hope you have made plans to attend our new holiday event, Lightscape. is is the U.S. debut of light shows that sold more than one million tickets across the U.K. What makes Lightscape so unique is that the mile-long path features immersive light experiences created just for our Garden. I look forward to seeing you at Lightscape and throughout the Garden this winter. Jean M. Franczyk President and CEO