Barb Stump

"Barbara Stump is assigned half time to SFA Mast Arboretum and PNPC development and public relations. Barbara has been associated with the gardens since she began her Master's at SFA in 1997. While writing her thesis, "The Site Analysis and Design of the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden," she coordinated the effort to actually build the 8-acre garden and populate it with over 7,500 specimens, of which 5,400 are azaleas. Very few graduate students can say the same. This practical, hands-on experience is a hallmark of the horticulture program at SFA and one Barbara recommends to aspiring students. Currently teaching Advanced Landscape Design, she brings interests in historical gardens preservation and botanical garden interpretation into the mix of AutoCAD and basic design skills. Trained as a teacher and technical editor, she has used these skills since mid-1999, when she became the editor of The Azalean, the quarterly journal of the Azalea Society of America. This latter association has been invaluable in expanding the network of nurserymen and breeders who regard the SFA Mast Arboretum as a major resource for plant introduction studies. They have also been very generous in donations of special collections of azaleas for the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden. Motto for all her garden work: "This world is so beautiful, it is amazing we are allowed to live here as long as we are."

Email: bstump@sfasu.edu