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Dorotha Smith Oatts has supported the Lexington Arboretum in every way from the start, and continues with new fundraising campaign
She was there in the beginning, in the late 1980s, at the organizational charter meeting that a few years later led to the creation of one of Lexington’s most popular features – the Arboretum, also known as the State Botanical Garden of Kentucky. Dorotha Smith Oatts recalls that she was “very much involved in saying, ‘We need an arboretum.’”
“Very much involved” is an understatement for this former educator, now in her 80s, who exemplifies the enthusiastic volunteer spirit of the Arboretum. The 100-acre facility opened in 1991, created jointly by the city of Lexington and the University of Kentucky on campus farmland where cows once grazed.
“I thought there was a need for people of all ages, men and women, to become familiar with and enjoy outdoor living, and to get some exercise,” Oatts said.
It has turned out to be much more than that.
Through their personal financial support, fundraising and hands-on activism, Arboretum volunteers, especially Oatts, have helped turn the grounds into a surprising green oasis in the middle of the city. The landscape features the Kentucky Children’s Garden, a gazebo, stone fences, fountains and a fish pond, as well as rose, perennial, annual and vegetable gardens, an ecologically-restored woods, and much more.
“There was no way in the world to know back at the beginning that it would be such a place today,” Oatts said. “It gets better every year.”
In honor of her dedication and for her matching gift, the Arboretum unveiled the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitors Center in 2002.
“It made a big difference because we could now hold classes and not cancel them because of bad weather,” remarked Marcia Farris, the Arboretum director for the past 14 years. “The visitors center has also provided badly needed office space on site. Prior to that, we were over on campus and not at the Arboretum. We have restroom facilities for staff and volunteers, which we didn’t have before.”
A few years later, Oatts teamed with physician and former Urban County Council member Dr. David Stevens to co-chair the fundraising committee for the Kentucky Children’s Garden. The campaign raised $1.3 million.
Last week, a new fundraising effort, The Arboretum Legacy Campaign, was announced with the goal of raising $1.2 million to enhance the Arboretum – $1 million would go toward the construction of Phase 2 of the visitor center; $200,000 would be for an endowment for the programming and the facilities. Oatts has pledged a dollar-for-dollar challenge of $250,000 to go toward the visitor center expansion, as well as a $100,000 match for the endowment.
The visitor center expansion would consist of adding over 2,000 square feet to the current structure, which would provide space for a reception area, kitchen, conference and research rooms, additional offices, as well as an outdoor terrace. Oatts says there is a great need for more space for workers, volunteers and equipment.
Born near Owingsville in Bath County, Oatts grew up on a farm. “When I was a child I was familiar with soil, plants and animals. As I got older I became interested in gardening and flower arranging and the environment,” she remembers.
Originally, her professional career seemed geared more toward the indoors than the outdoors. A UK graduate with a degree in home economics, Oatts went on to teach that curriculum in high school in Bardstown. Later, she moved to Somerset and worked for the State Education Department monitoring home economics programs in schools throughout Southeastern Kentucky. Oatts enthusiastically promoted what was then a popular program for girls: Future Homemakers of America.
Oatts retired and in 1990 moved to Lexington. She immediately attached herself to the fledgling Arboretum project and hasn’t let go. “The Arboretum is my full-time family. I spend a lot of time with everyone there,” she said.
Farris said that over the years, Oatts has supported the arboretum in whatever it was doing, mentoring people, giving them encouragement and bringing new friends into the fold. “She is a wonderful personal friend and friend of the arboretum. What a lovely lady and good teacher. Everything she’s done here has turned out well,” Farris summarized. “She’s the perfect, hardworking volunteer who never stops thinking about the Arboretum.”
Here We Grow Again: Gala in the Garden
4 - 7 p.m. Sept. 15
Proceeds from the ninth annual Gala in the Garden will go toward the expansion of the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center. Festivities include food, drinks, music and a silent auction. For more information, visit www2.ca.uky.edu/arboretum.