Author: carl

WVNLA is pleased to announce the selection of Jesse Poe as the Marcus W. Rennix Memorial Scholarship winner for the 2015-16 school year. Jesse is a junior Horticulture major at West Virginia University. He is from Charleston, WV, where he graduated from George Washington High School.

Jesse began his college career at West Virginia State University, where he worked in the greenhouses, helping graduate students collect fruit data for gene mapping. At WVU, Jesse interned at the Plant and Soil Science Farm, where he planted seed, installed drip irrigation, mulched, weeded, mowed and harvested crops. Currently, he works in the greenhouse that contains the University’s extensive plant collection. His duties range from propagating plants asexually to washing pots in the workroom.

“Greenhouse and farm work have given me the highest appreciation for plants and other people who love them as well,” Jesse said.

Jesse is president of the Horticulture Club at WVU.

Dr. Sven Verlinden, a WVU Horticulture professor who has worked with Jesse extensively, both at the organic farm and in his classrooms, recommended Jesse for the scholarship.

“I would rate Jesse in the top 10 percent of students I have worked with over the years when it comes to diligence and attention to detail. Jesse is clearly a hard work and does a great job balancing extracurricular activities, work and classes,” Sven said.

Congratulations and best wishes to Jesse Poe, West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Associations’ 2015 scholarship winner

Members of WVNLA’s board of directors were unanimous in their selection of Silas Childs as the recipient of the 2014 Marcus W. Rennix Memorial Scholarship.

This hard-working student is an honors student in Horticulture at West Virginia University, and is also married with two small children at home.

Despite the challenges of balancing family, job and school responsibilities, Silas maintains a 4.0 GPA and was highly recommended for the scholarship by WVNLA members Pat Biafore, a former employer, and his professor Dr. Sven Verlinden.

“Silas is a one-of-a-kind student that we see in our program every 5 to 10 years. A devout Christian man, he works 20-plus hours while taking a full load of classes to provide for his family and to put himself through college,” said Sven in his letter of recommendation.

Interested in horticulture since high school Silas has worked in various nurseries and landscaping companies since then. He currently works for WVU’s Division of Plant and Soil Sciences in the greenhouse and at the farm.

Silas plans to use the scholarship to help pay for tuition, fees and living expenses.

“This extra money would enable me to concentrate more on classes and getting horticultural experience rather than working long hours to pay the bills,” he said.

Silas is scheduled to graduate in 2015 and plans to attend graduate school, studying plant breeding of ornamental or edible horticultural crops. Ultimately, he thinks he’ll pursue a career as a plant breeder.

Three deserving and hard-working horticulture and landscape architecture students at West Virginia University were selected as recipients of the Marcus W. Rennix Memorial Scholarship for the 2013-14 school year.

Whitney J. Garton

Whitney is a Horticulture major, with a minor in pest management. She is a native of Jane Lew and developed an interest in horticulture after starting plants from seed and realizing their vulnerability to disease and fungi. She decided upon a career in research and collegiate instruction from which she hopes to develop solutions to disease and fungi that threaten plants.

Whitney has worked on research projects in the fields of organic mulches’ effects on tomato development, the efficacy of cocoa hulls, waste wool and living crop mulch as an organic weed suppression method and on effective ways to compost wool.

“I also helped a WVU graduate student with her research on biodegradable pots. I was specifically drawn to the diseases and ways to control them. Doing this research strengthened my desire to attend graduate school and my excitement about education and a potential career in research and teaching,” Whitney said in her scholarship application.

Erin Vorholt

Erin is a Horticulture and Agriculture Business major from Poca, West Virginia. In addition to her good grades, Erin’s work ethic is evident in the summer jobs she’s held since she was 14 years old. Most recently, she interned at Gritts Midway Greenhouse in Putnam County, where she was hired as an assistant grower and offered a job upon graduation.

After graduation and some time spent working in the industry, Erin hopes to open and operate a flower farm, where customers may come and pick their own selections from her fields. “I plan on selling flowers that are not part of the “pick your own” section of the farm at the Capitol Market in Charleston and other farmers markets. Also at my farm, I would like to incorporate education classes and hands-on workshops for local people in the area to learn more about plants,” Erin said in her application.

Leah Comerci

Landscape Architecture student Leah Comerci impressed her professors, particularly Peter Butler, who worked with her in design studios, especially her work designing an outdoor classroom for a Wyoming County school?

Professor Butler recommended Leah, saying, “I believe that with her work ethic; commitment to intellectual growth and exploration; strong graphic and verbal communication skills; and leadership abilities that she is deserving of your organization’s scholarship. If she continues to progress academically and personally, I believe that she could contribute to the field of landscape architecture, especially with her specialized interest and passion for horticulture.”

2012 Rennix Memorial Scholarship Winners

West Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association awarded two Marcus W. Rennix Memorial Scholarships in for the 2012-2013 school year. Megan Mahoney and Aaron Diedrich, both West Virginia University students, each received a $2500.00 scholarship.

Megan Mahoney

Megan is a native of Morgantown, and studying Horticulture and plans to pursue a career in the plants about which she is passionate.

Aaron Diedrich, a native of Frazier’s Bottom, is studying landscape architecture and plans to focus on future innovative and creative designs that promote environmental friendly and sustainable systems.