By Ali Kane
THBG Grants Manager
My first memories of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill are running through the woods – before there was an Inner Park – on walk with my family after church. I would always pretend I was Pocahontas or the Lion King. My grandmother, Janette Hedenburg, had become a member in 1990, just four years after New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill opened. Today I’m the grants manager in the Advancement Department. But I’ve been connected to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill almost all my life.
When my grandmother Janette died in 1994, my grandfather, “Grampie” Ken Hedenburg, asked founding director John Trexler what he could donate in her memory. John, legend has it, drew out a sketch of the Belvedere on a napkin. Belvedere is an Italian word for “fair view” or “beautiful sight” that has become an architectural term for the airy, columned walkways on Mediterranean villas.
Progress photos from Belvedere construction, 1995.
At the dedication ceremony, Grampie described this philosophy: “We all have certain places and times in our lives when things seem to come into focus. Maybe you were struggling with something, and suddenly you see the solution. You might be in your own backyard just looking at a sunset, and you are suddenly able to focus and make important decisions. Janette and I always called them magic moments.”
Once the Belvedere was built, our family would visit on Mother’s Day and other special occasions with a full spread of cheese and crackers, sitting on the bench that my grandfather built.
Both the Lawn Garden and us cousins have grown up a lot since November 1995 for the dedication of the Belvedere. (That’s me on the left.)
To preserve my grandmother’s spirit, my grandfather became a trustee, serving as assistant treasurer and establishing the Investment Committee. I remember thinking about how the word “trustee” sounded a lot like “trapeze” and thought it must be something like the circus. My dad remembers a time before the Stoddard Center; I remember thinking how fancy the word “Orangerie” sounded. My aunt was supposed to get married at the Belvedere, but it rained so it was moved to the Great Hall. I remember playing Star Wars under the pergolas as the grownups took pictures.
As it happens, the cousins grew up. School and extracurriculars took up more time, so we came to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill less often.
Ken “Grampie” Hedenburg continues to enjoy visits to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. The Belvedere is often the sole destination.
My parents, Tom and Diane Kane, at the Belvedere in 2009.
When I was pursuing a career in nonprofit management, I was fortunate to secure a volunteer position at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill working closely with communications and advancement staff. A few months into my internship, my mom was diagnosed with melanoma.
During those six awful months, it was a good time to have a place like New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill to come to two days a week. As my mom got worse, it was nice to have a place like a Belvedere to meditate at. When we knew my mom didn’t have much time left, I reached out to the Director of Horticulture, Joann Vieira, to coordinate a golf cart ride to the Belvedere. We stopped at Boylston Deli for sandwiches and chocolate shakes and had one last picnic with my mother, overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir.
Three years later, I have had the privilege of being part of the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill family as the executive assistant to CEO Grace Elton and, now, grants manager. When something exciting happens or I am having a rough day, my special place is just a few yards down Pliny’s Allée.
My cousin Melissa and her husband Keith Cunningham had their engagement photos taken at the Belvedere and used this Winter 2019 photo on their handmade candle wedding favors. Photo by Perla Images
Over the years, I have heard so many stories of how New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill inspires people and has been their special place, whether in celebration of a wedding or baby shower, or as a place of reflection when someone has passed or gone through difficult times. Working here isn’t just about taking care of my family’s special place; it’s about sharing my family’s special place with everyone and ensuring the Garden has the resources to grow into the future as a place of joy, reflection, discovery, relief, and, most of all, magic.