Anne de Coningh [00:00:38] I was born September [...], 1945, at University Hospitals at McDonald House. I was the first child my parents had. Then I had two brothers. They were each three years apart. After that we lived in the Nottingham area of Cleveland, which is the far eastern part of Cleveland, almost to Euclid, and we had a great time there. My brothers and I grew up on a... Next to a family who raised horses for hunters and jumpers. So we were over there in the barns and feeding the goat, and we didn't really ride the horses very much, but we loved it when they got loose because they'd come running through our backyard and the owner would say, thank God they're wearing shoes. They're going to break a leg when they get out on the street. But they never did.

And when I was in eighth grade, my parents moved to Shaker Heights, and we lived in the Onaway school district... The Onaway Elementary School district and my brothers were at Onaway. I was at Woodberry for Junior High, and then I graduated from Shaker High School. And so it was at that time when we, let's see, we moved to Shaker, it was like 1958, I think... And my brothers and I played at Horseshoe Lake a lot and that's my sort of my connection with Village Garden Club because we have this flowering grove, as you know, across from the Shaker Historical Society.

And a friend of mine from church whose—I belong to the Church of the Covenant on Euclid Avenue—said, oh Anne, wouldn't you like to join this garden club? And I thought, well, that does appeal to me even though I live in Chagrin Falls. I love Horseshoe Lake and that whole area so that I joined the club in... I think it was... I have to look and see... In 2003. So I've been active in it. Somebody asked me to be president, but I said I can't, I'm too busy with other things. But I was hospitality chair at one point with another woman. I was the horticulture reporter every month until last year. I've been a hostess for a lot of different things, and I've worked in the grove quite a few times to weed and, you know, mostly weeding, planting a few bulbs. And it's a wonderful group. I really enjoy all those women. And this year we have a couple who had seen us working in the beds or under the trees last spring, and the husband said, I'd really like to join the club. So now we have a male member, too. Did you know that?

Caitlen Cameron [00:03:27] Yeah, I think Barbara mentioned it. But that's, I know, that's amazing. How does that impact? Like, how do you feel about a man? [00:03:35][7.5]

Anne de Coningh [00:03:37] I think it's fine. He's a very nice young man. They both play in the Cleveland Orchestra. And I hope it's the beginning of more men wanting to be part of it, because we could sure use some more manpower because we're all getting older.

[00:55:45] I see [the club], you know, lasting a long time. I think we have a lot of good members and people are working hard to find new ones and younger ones. And now that we've admitted a male, maybe we'll get more men who will want to do it. And we're not fussy. We're not, you know, frivolous at all. I don't think. And I like being part of it because it keeps me connected with Shaker and then University Circle because I don't want to lose that connection.