Every volunteer program has that member with an extra twinkle, a contagious laugh, and a genuine love for his/her work. The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is lucky to have many volunteers who fit that description.
One of those volunteers is Judy Killmer.
 Judy, a resident of Lagrangeville, is a master gardener who discovered the Volunteer Program through fellow master gardener and Volunteer, Lillian Eisberg. Judy submitted her volunteer application one week and showed up to work the next! And she hasn't slowed down yet, contributing over 900 hours from August 1994 to December 2002. When you ask Judy why she volunteered to work in the Perennial Garden, she replies that she feels her best learning comes from doing. In fact she loves to "learn, learn, learn" and absolutely "can't wait to get to work!" "It's a great environment in which to work and I love the camaraderie between staff and volunteers". At the end of the day Judy's co-workers thank her, she replies with a sparkle in her eyes "Thank you".
When Judy is not working in the display garden or her various projects in and out of the office at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, she spends time with her husband of 20 years, Charlie. Judy and Charlie spend many weekends sailing on Lake Ontario and winter weekends cross-country skiing locally. She also belongs to four stitchery clubs - Skyllkill, the local chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America; the Hudson Valley Needlers, members of the American Needlepoint Guild; Friends of Counted Embroidery and Apple Valley Stitchers.
Another such volunteer is Rosemary Pelish.
 When you ask Rosemary why she first volunteered at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, she replies, "I was a stay-at-home Mom with five children and felt this would be interesting". And interesting it must have been, for 27 years later, Rosemary still lends her time and energy to IES.
Rosemary is a living repository of Cary Arboretum history. Her volunteer service began October 25, 1976 as a Greenhouse Helper. At that time the Cary Institute was known as Cary Arboretum and as Greenhouse Helper, she prepared herbariums specimens. Rosemary later became a tour guide, and volunteer solicitor. As she states "I was all over the place, going wherever I was needed". In the early 1980's she began as Gift Shop volunteer. Rosemary's magic touch can be seen everywhere. In the gift shop she's often seen orienting visitors, preparing inventory or organizing the displays. She is also one of the Ecology Shop's best customers as she purchases gifts for her 5 grandchildren. "The Folkmanis nature puppets and the Audubon birds with real bird calls are my favorites and each of these items comes with educational information that my grandchildren love". In 1997 she was hired as Part Time Visitor Services Assistant. When asked what she likes best about being a volunteer, she says, "talking about this place" and "meeting a variety of people from various cultures". Visitors find Rosemary's self-effacing, calm demeanor very soothing as she helps them find whatever they need and answers their questions. If you are looking for Rosemary today, you can find her volunteering in the Greenhouse or volunteering at special events.
Rosemary is just as busy outside of the Cary Institute. She enjoys reading, bowling, swimming, gardening, taking long walks surrounded by nature or working out at All Sports. She and her husband of 49 years, Stafford, enjoy traveling, especially out west. Their favorite places to visit are New York City, sandy ocean beaches and state and national parks. Rosemary is a Lifetime Volunteer. Lifetime Volunteers are volunteers who contributed over 15 years of service or over 1,000 service hours. A Lifetime Volunteer is a permanent member of the Cary Institute family.
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies held its Annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, April 15, 2003. This past year 92 volunteers contributed 7,963.75 hours of service. |
