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April 20 Ceremony Honors George Grover Cole
April 20, 2017 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
The American Chestnut Foundation Dedication Ceremony
Honoring George Grover Cole
DATE/TIME: Thursday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Sports Complex, 16358 Competition Drive, Culpeper, Virginia 22701
AHSEVILLE, N.C. 4/12/17 – The Virginia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) cordially invites the general public to attend a Chestnut Dedication Ceremony on Thursday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m. The event will be held at the Sports Complex located at 16358 Competition Drive in Culpeper, Virginia. Light refreshments will be served.
Members of the Virginia Chapter will dedicate two potentially blight-resistant American chestnut trees and unveil a sign dedicated to the memory of George Grover Cole. Virginia Chapter President Catherine D. Mayes will make a presentation honoring Cole and his legacy.
Born on December 30, 1942 in Charlottesville, Cole was the son of the late William Burnett and Virginia Gooding Cole. He was an Air Force veteran and a graduate of Virginia Tech. He retired as a Veterinary Technician with the State of Virginia. After retirement he was owner and operator of a small engine repair shop in Orange. He also was a life member of the Orange County Rescue Squad, on the Board of Trustees and past president of the Graham Cemetery Association.
About The American Chestnut Foundation
Once the mighty giants of the eastern forest, American chestnuts stood up to 100 feet tall, and numbered in the billions. From Maine to Georgia, the American chestnut was a vital part of the eastern forest, provided abundant food for wildlife, and was an essential component of the economy. In the beginning of the 20th century the fungal pathogen responsible for chestnut blight, accidentally imported from Asia, spread rapidly through the eastern forests. By 1950 the fungus had eliminated the American chestnut as a mature forest tree.
In 1983, a committed group of scientists and laymen decided to do something about this ecological disaster while the species could still be saved. They formed TACF to initiate a complex breeding program to transfer genes containing disease resistance from Asian chestnut species to American chestnut. In just 20 years, these talented scientists and volunteers began to produce the first generation of trees that are 96% American chestnut but contain Asiatic genes for blight resistance. Now supported by more than 5,000 members and hundreds of volunteers in 23 states, the organization is planting and testing offspring of those trees as it continues to build and improve its breeding population. With the aid of many partner organizations, TACF is leading the restoration of an iconic species once on the brink of extinction.
The American Chestnut Foundation is a non-profit conservation organization headquartered in Asheville, NC, with 3 regional offices located in Charlottesville, VA, So. Burlington, VT, and State College, PA. The organization’s research farm in Meadowview, VA has more than 50,000 trees planted in various stages of development.
For more information on TACF and its work, please contact TACF Communications Manager Ruth Goodridge at 828-281-0047 or email: ruth.goodridge@acf.org. Please visit us online at: www.tacf.org or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/americanchestnut and Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chestnut1904.
