Visitors of The Dawes Arboretum can tour the Daweswood House Museum and see the rooms that Beman and Bertie Dawes once lived in. The home is historically preserved and features many fascinating artifacts from the past.
Few visitors can say that they interacted with the couple in that house when it was alive with activity. But volunteer Judy Riggs, can.
Judy distinctly remembers visiting Bertie Dawes in her iconic bedroom at the Dawes’ house.
“She would tell me about her birds, her flowers and her collections, and we had a real good time,” Judy said. “I don’t remember how long I stayed or how often I went. I just remember talking with her, and she was so sweet...”
Judy grew up on The Arboretum’s property with her mother and her father, Everett Sanford, who was the first ever Executive Director of The Arboretum.
She fondly remembers her kind father and her siblings and they used to call him the “Tree Doctor.” He designed Holly Hill and met Makoto Nakamura when he was here designing the now famous Japanese Garden.
She recalls riding around in The Arboretum’s old Buick at the end of the day to make sure all visitors had left by dark. Her favorite area, although it no longer exists, was called the Ten Acre of Pines, which she would simply walk and talk with her future husband.
Although Judy moved from The Arboretum in 1961, she has been a frequent visitor to soak in the atmosphere and visit her father’s memorial bench.
About six years ago, she met Historian Leslie Wagner at the Licking County Historical Society when Judy shared that she is a professional seamstress. In fact, when she moved from Cincinnati to Jacksontown in 1955, her sewing machine was the last thing on the moving truck and the first thing off.
Since then, Judy has been volunteering at the History Center and Dawes. She loves the opportunity to reflect on her memories and nostalgia that the nature at Dawes provides. Judy first used her seamstress skills to save the day on a white dress with embroidered powder blue flowers that had browned through the years. After it was soaked in a cleaning solution, it destroyed the collar, but she was able to restore the lace collar.
She wants people to know that Dawes is accessible to everyone.
“The building is accessible,” Judy said. “To enjoy nature, which God has made. It’s just a gorgeous place.”
Judy is just one of many valued volunteers at The Arboretum, and she was chosen to be featured during National Volunteer Month, which is observed every year from April 1 to April 30 in the United States. It celebrates people who donate their time to meaningful programs and places.
Volunteer Coordinator Mike Conklin manages the volunteer program and Dawes and is honored to work with so many magnificent volunteers every day.
“Every single person I meet has a back story as to why they're volunteering,” Conklin said. “It’s just amazing to hear the stories of every one of them...and Judy is a great example of it.”
Are you interested in volunteer opportunities at The Arboretum? Learn more by clicking here.