Earlier this week, the Association learned the sad news of the unexpected passing of Sarah Reichard (UW Botanic Gardens). Sarah was not only a dedicated director of the UW Botanic Gardens and “beloved professor”, she was also a long-standing and active member of the Association, joining while still a student at the University of Washington. 
 

*Served in leadership of Plant Conservation Committee and College and University Gardens Committees

*Specialist in invasive species evaluations and rare plant conservation, leader in conservation ethics, helped develop Invasive Plant Species Voluntary Codes of Conduct 

*2006 recipient of the Association's Professional Citation Award

*Authored several articles and book reviews for Public Garden

*Participated in numerous conferences as a Presenter, Moderator, and attendee

*Authored the chapter on Conservation Practices at Public Gardens in Public Gardens Management 

 
Sarah’s contributions truly impacted the industry and she will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, her family, and all who had the pleasure of knowing and working beside her.
 
A message from UW Botanic Gardens:
 
UW Botanic Gardens Loses a Family Member 
 
“This morning, our community woke up to the heartbreaking news that Professor Sarah Reichard passed away while leading a garden tour in South Africa. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness and shock we are experiencing from this news. With Sarah’s passing, we have lost an incredible director of the UW Botanic Gardens, a beloved professor, an important voice for conservation, and a truly wonderful person.
 
Our thoughts are with her husband Brian, her family, and her many friends, colleagues and students.”
 
 
 
A message from Peter Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
 
 “Our colleague Sarah Reichard, Director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, died in her sleep on August 28, 2016, while leading a trip for the University of Washington in South Africa.  Her husband Brian Reichard was a member of the trip, and is making arrangements to return to Seattle now. Sarah, born Dec. 16, 1957, was a leader in the botanical Garden community. 
 
Best known for her studies concerning the evaluation of invasive species, she was also active in advancing and promoting sustainability and plant conservation.  As our colleague David Galbraith has aptly written “Sarah was a really lovely person, always interested in whatever people around her were doing, and always pushing her own institution and her community to do better in conservation and sustainability.”  Her book The Conscientious Garden: Cultivating a Garden Ethic, published four years ago, reflects her philosophy well.
 
She was a very close friend of Pat’s and mine, and the maid-of-honor at our wedding in 2001.  We visited Sarah and Brian quite often in Seattle and always enjoyed their friendship greatly.  She certainly will be missed.”