At the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, we rely on volunteers–over 500 of them– to keep daily operations afloat.
Volunteer Carolyn Scott works in the administrative heart of the Gardens, helping Manager of Administrative Services Carrie Cone with record-keeping, mailing, filing and data entry.
Born in 1921, Carolyn came to Seattle from Virginia in her early 30s with husband David who accepted a faculty position with the (then) College of Forestry at the UW.
Scott received a B.A. degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the, now co-ed, Randolph-Macon Women’s College in 1942. “My wonderful Latin professor inspired me to choose Latin as a major,” she notes, “but I also loved languages, learning French and Spanish.”
Married during World War II, Scott was a translator for US Postal Censorship and afterward worked for five years in the Yale University library. After raising four children she worked at Bush School, the University Book Store, and Seattle Children’s Hospital until retirement in 1988.
“I love classical music, ballet, art and theater,” she says, and “until recent years I loved gardening and travel.
Scott now spends much time volunteering. “The Botanic Gardens are such a friendly place to volunteer,” she says, “and I especially love walking through the gardens and watching the seasonal changes.” In particular Scott enjoys the sights and scents of blooming plants.