October 8, 2021 Plant Named After 50 Years, John Hay, J. Carter Brown, Faith Ringgold, Deanna Raybourn, Epitaph for a Peach by David M. Masumoto, and Bill Vaughan

Today in botanical history, we celebrate an American civil servant and poet, an American art expert, and a Harlem artist and gardener.
We'll hear an excerpt from historical fiction by Deanna Raybourn.
We Grow That Garden Library™ with a lyrical book by a peach farmer.
And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a humorist who made a living writing about the sunny side of life.
 
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Curated News
Why it took nearly 50 years for scientists to name this mysterious tropical plant | CNN | Megan Marples
Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha Botanical Center 20th birthday!
 
Important Events
October 8, 1838 
Birth of John Hay, American politician, diplomat, and poet. He served three assassinated American leaders, including President Lincoln. Along with John Nicolay, he co-wrote a ten-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln that helped shape his legacy. Like Lincoln, John lost a son, and the loss profoundly affected him. Three years later, he wrote,
The death of our boy made my wife and me old at once and for the rest of our lives.
After the death of his father-in-law, John became enormously wealthy and took over the family business and investments. His family enjoyed regular trips to Europe, a grand mansion in Washington D.C., and a cottage in New Hampshire that John called the Fells. John had cobbled together 1,000 acres of land after quietly buying up abandoned farms. The etymology of The Fells name was Scottish and means rocky upland pastures. John especially enjoyed time at The Fells, which overlooked pastoral view. In the foreground, sheep grazed among prehistoric boulders that dotted the landscape, and in the distance were views of scenic Lake Sunapee. John's wife, Clara, was a gardener, and she had a special love for roses and hydrangeas.
In 1890, John wrote,
I was greatly pleased with the air, the water, the scenery. I have nowhere found a more beautiful spot.
In terms of poetry, John was best known for a collection of post-Civil War poems compiled into a book ca