TFGC 2014 CONVENTION

TFGC 87^th Annual Meeting

Convention Speakers

 Gina Jogan

Gina is a NGC Flower Show (FS) Symposium Instructor for Design and Allied Topics and for NGC FS Schools: Design and Flower Show Procedure.  She is an Accredited Master FS Judge, Gardening Consultant and Landscape Design Consultant.  A graduate of Florida State University, Gina holds a BS Degree in Elementary Education and Mathematics.  She has served the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs as District I Director, FS Chairman, FS Judges Council Chairman and Chairman of several Deep South Region Advanced Standard Petite Flower Shows.  Gina is the creative force behind many floral design schools and programs in Florida. Gina enjoys reading, travel, needlework, quilting and her six grandbabies!

Tina Tuttle

Tina is an NGC Accredited Master FS Judge, NGC FS School Horticulture Instructor, FS Procedure, Symposium Instructor, Gardening Consultant, Landscape Design Consultant, Master Gardener and Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Adviser. Tina holds a BS Degree from Florida State University in Vocational Home Economics Education, a Masters in Education from University of West Florida (UWF) and has completed all coursework for a Doctorate in Education from UWF.  After teaching High School, she served in the Navy, retiring in 1996, as Lt. Commander.  She chairs Horticulture for Deep South and Co-Chairs the Deep South Region Advanced Standard Petite Flower Shows with Sister Gina.  She loves her cats!

George is the son of Ann Schimpf, Garden Club of Signal Mountain member. He graduated from McCallie School, Chattanooga in 1969.  In 1978, he earned a BS Degree in Botany and a Degree in MS Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He has owned a landscape business.  While landscaping shopping centers, George opened the Sneed-Schimpf Christmas Tree Farm (1982-1996) on his wife’s family farm in Maryville TN.  In 1997, George became the Manager of Horticulture at Rock City Gardens and today is the Director of Horticulture at the Gardens.  Sixteen years later, George still looks forward to working in his dream garden at the Rock City Gardens.  He is a member of the Southern Nursery Association, Azalea Society, Rhododendron Society, Certified Mauget Tree Injector, TN Christmas Tree Association and Regional Naturalist Certified.

 Ivana Patterson

Ivana has years of gardening experience and has been featured on WTCV Channel 9, WRCB Channel 3, WDEF Channel 12, WTCI Channel 45 and WDSI Channel 61. She has been featured in local paper articles about herb gardening and the benefits of having a garden.  Using herb gardening she assisted Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School with a Secret Garden to help teach math, science, history and the arts.  Ivana has taught classes on herb gardening, herbal cooking, herbal potpourri, kitchen cosmetics, composting and garden design.  Now she is the blessed owner of Lavender & Rust Herb Farm. She is an active member of the Crestwood Garden Club, The Chattanooga Herbie’s, TN Master Gardeners and Georgia Master Gardeners.

Crystal learned to love gardening from her grandmother and father while growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. She lived in south Florida for 16 years enjoying her other passion of water.  She met her husband while racing sailboats.  When they started their family, they moved off the boat and up to her husband’s hometown of Cleveland, TN, to rear their children. She had lots of space to pursue vegetable and herbal gardening, as well as ornamentals. While attending a Koi pond building seminar, she saw a pretty pot with no hole.  She bought a water plant to put in it, and thus started her creation of Container Water Gardens.  She is President of Ocoee Garden Club, a Hamilton County Master Gardener and member of the native plant society, Wild Ones.

Sally Wencel

Sally is a "recovering lawyer" that moved to Chattanooga area 15 years ago. In 2008 as an adjunct professor at the College of Business, she taught management in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. She became a Master Gardener in 2009 to hone her plant skills and provide community service.  In 2010, Sally assisted with the launch of the Chattanooga Native Plant & Wildflower Group (TN Valley Wild Ones) through which she met Cumberland Trail (CT) Park Manager Bobby Fulcher and Terri Ballinger.  Entranced with the idea of helping to restore newly acquired property on the CT, she obtained Master Gardeners of Hamilton County approval to start a volunteer project to help the CTSST with the Cumberland Seeds Project in 2010.  Sally has spent many hours on the CT collecting seeds and developing a deep appreciation of the biological diversity of this area and the need to preserve and protect this valuable natural asset.  Sally received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), her law degree from the University of Wisconsin and MBA from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Presently, she is Friends of CT Treasurer, President of the TN Valley Chapter of Wild Ones and City of Chattanooga Tree Commission Vice-Chair.  Sally and Terri are running the new FCT Trailhead Nursery.

Previously known as the Senior Neighbor Orchestra of Chattanooga, the orchestra originated in 1966 under the leadership of Karen Diamond.  Karen was 25 years old with a music degree when the Senior Neighbors Director asked her to find some musicians to form an orchestra.  They started with one violin, one clarinet and two mandolins, all seniors in their 70 and 80’s.  Today the orchestra has 69 members of all ages and abilities.  In 2013, the orchestra changed their name to Chattanooga Community Orchestra.  They play all varieties of music with seasonal concerts open to the public.  The oboe player is 89 years old and the first clarinet player has been in the orchestra 34 years.  Mr. Herman May, Conductor and Director, is in his 17^th year as conductor.