On Friday, November 3, 2006, Jeane Reeves passed away.

Jeane is the person primarily responsible for developing the GNPS plant rescue program. Rescues were held before her vital involvement, but she is solely responsible for the initiation and subsequent development of the program into an activity that involves hundreds of native plant lovers. The story is frequently told how one day she was driving down a road where some development was taking place. It was the spring of the year and native azaleas were in full bloom. She witnessed construction crews using heavy earth moving equipment to level areas where some azaleas in bloom were pushed aside. It troubled her so much that she approached the construction workers and requested permission to recover some of the plants that had been pushed down and around.

Those who knew Jeane know how persuasive she could be and are not surprised that the crews obliged her and allowed her to recover some of the plants. Jeane credited that event as the stimulus that sparked her future actions that led to the formal rescue program that exists today. Dick Reeves, Jeane's surviving spouse, believes that a key to the success of the program was her ability to approach those persons involved in site development and convince them of the importance of conserving desirable native plants. And that is truly where Jeane shined.

I had the privilege of working with Jeane several years ago and learned not only a great amount about native plants and their culture but techniques in how to obtain permission from developers to permit rescues. One of Jeane's techniques involved the sharing of her enthusiasm with those whom she contacted. If she could not reach the final authority for a development site, she worked through the people who worked for the developer.

A good example of her skill was the large site west of Canton known as Laurel Canyon. A few years ago that site was owned by Mr. Ken Minchew of Minchew Properties. Jeane was able to obtain permission to rescue that site years before it was developed. She worked closely with a lady named Lindy Arnold who worked for Mr. Minchew. Jeane convinced Lindy of the importance of our rescue program and she served as the Company's interface for several years. While we had some unconventional requirements for rescues at that site, it was nevertheless one of the best sites, if not the best, of the rescue program. GNPS is still rescuing at that site even thought it is now owned by 2 different companies and construction has started. The key to that successful rescue arrangement was Jeane's skill in working with the property owners through other people.

I was fortunate to work with Jeane extensively prior to the onset of her difficult health problems. She, Lisa Betz and I have spent many hours in the woods evaluating and cataloging rescue sites. I will never forget that one day that she, Lisa and I were researching a site in North Cobb County. It was a fairly rich site with a good variety of desirable natives. I had stopped to examine some native azaleas and Jeane and Lisa went on ahead. All of a sudden I heard this loud scream that embodied excitement and joy. Jeane had come upon a small trillium that was unlike any that we had seen before. Her enthusiasm simply overflowed, but that was the kind of excitement with regard to native plants that she led others to adopt.

She was a tireless worker and insisted on working for the rescue program after her health slowed her physical activities. After I assumed the job of coordinating rescues and acquiring sites for the North/West Region, she continued to work from her home in east Cherokee County to acquire rescue sites. Her zeal led her husband Dick to become involved in the rescue program after he retired from Lockheed. The two of them were successful in acquiring several sites fairly close to their home and Dick would lead rescues at these sites. Jeane was able to acquire these sites by the use of her infectious charm and unrelenting desire to rescue native plants.

She will be missed but not forgotten. Dick has indicated that he will rejoin the rescue program. Most certainly that involvement will be a significant way that he can honor her exemplary work with native plants.

Ken Gohring