John J. Reynolds, FASLA, received ASLA's 2002 Alfred B. LaGasse Award last fall in San Jose, California. Mr. Reynolds' remarks on that occasion included an introductory anecdote I would like to share with you. It has rattled around several months in my jalopy of a memory, so I present it in a somewhat less polished condition than that in which I received it.
As a high school student, Mr. Reynolds was asked by his father about his aspirations and inclinations concerning career choice and life direction. Young John considered the question before replying. "Well, I like botany," he offered. "But I don't want to be a botanist; I like engineering, but I don't want to be an engineer; I enjoy the outdoors, but I don't think I want to be out there all the time..."
The elder Mr. Reynolds--whose business brought him into contact with just such types--considered his son's answer and paused before offering encouragement. In a tone of optimistic paternal dismay that many a son might recognize, he responded, "You know, son, you may be just crazy enough to become a landscape architect."
Please forgive the myriad inaccuracies that have surely crept into my recounting of Mr. Reynolds' story. For my purposes, the important message here is that the right information at the right time may turn a bewildered adolescent toward a brilliant, life-long career. Hold that thought, please.
Do you know Dale Jaeger, FASLA, of the Jaeger Company in Gainesville, Georgia? Some time around the end of the year, I received a concerned phone call from her office asking how many copies we held in inventory of 100 Years of Landscape Architecture by Melanie Simo. Now, perhaps I’m the wrong person to pose the following rhetorical question since I own multiple copies of many different books (Leaves of Grass, The Republic, even several classic Little Golden Books), but why would anyone buy more than one copy of a book? College and university bookstores order multiple copies of individual titles, of course; but the individual on the other end of this phone call was anxious to confirm that I still had at least three dozen copies of this one title.
I learned that, during the holidays a few years ago, the Jaeger Company--wondering how to acknowledge the special relationships they enjoyed with certain clients--decided to offer something more meaningful than fruitcake or cheese logs. In a fine stroke of creative philanthropy, they chose to honor these clients by donating a book in the client's name to a library in the client's neighborhood. 100 Years of Landscape Architecture--the 1999 tome issued in celebration of ASLA's centennial--was their felicitous selection. A bookplate inside the front cover names both the giver and the honoree. "We call it 'the gift of landscape architecture,'" Jaeger explained. The gift was so well received that the firm has made it an annual tradition. Of course, they don't always give the same title, but this year seemed like a great moment for revisiting "100 Years." As Jaeger expressed it, "We have given this book as our firm's 'Christmas Book' in the past. We are giving it again this year due to the quality of the publication and our desire to put it in as many public libraries as possible."
Such enthusiasm warms a bookseller's heart. It also inspires an extravagant train of thought.
Remember how the right information at the right time helped direct a future ASLA Fellow and LaGasse award recipient toward his profession? Wouldn't it make sense to take the example of Dale Jaeger's philanthropy and focus some effort on reaching students with John Reynolds' aptitude?
Let's give it a try. As a project for National Landscape Architecture Week 2003, the Landscape Architecture Bookstore is offering to partner with any ASLA chapter that would like to place 100 Years of Landscape Architecture in the path of high school students. Actually, we are offering a package including 100 Years, The California Garden by Jere French, the video Connections: Preserving America's Landscape Heritage, and several other appropriate items. Chapter presidents can expect an email soon to explain the program further. The basic points:
I hope you'll agree that this project deserves every chapter's support and participation. Putting bright, gifted students on an express track to discovering landscape architecture makes good sense for them and for the future of the profession and offers an opportunity to combine generosity and celebration during National Landscape Architecture Week 2003.
Access the ASLA Bookstore Catalog online (pdf). |
636 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001-3736 Telephone: 202-898-2444 • Fax: 202-898-1185 ©2002 American Society of Landscape Architects. All Rights Reserved. |