Wanda Mcnair
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our greatest Begonia grower members, and mentor to us all, Wanda Mcnair. She passed away on August 19, 2021, and was 90 years old. She touched all of us in so many ways, encouraging all of us to grow wonderful plants and to get involved, while performing in the various roles she played for our local and national societies, as well as the Gesneriad societies.
From our President, Mike Mack:
"I am very sorry to report to you that our much beloved member, Wanda Macnair, has passed away. [Her obituary is attached.] Wanda and Dick, received the Charles Jaros Award honoring their lifetime achievement in support of begonias and ABS. Wanda was also honored in having a begonia named after her. She was boundless in her enthusiasm for begonias and in her support for those newly interested in begonias, myself included. She and Dick, who remains active as our Treasurer, were always involved and dedicated members of ABS and of Buxton. She will be sorely missed. The executive committee is working on an appropriate way to recognize her incredible contributions. " Mike Mack
Our condolences to her husband, Richard Mcnair, their son, Douglas, and the entire Mcnair family, friends and acquaintances. Wanda, you will be missed greatly. RIP.
Please check out the link to the Lasting Memories website created by her son, where you can read about her incredibly full life as well as share your condolences, photos, and stories of Wanda:
Lasting Memories - Wanda Mcnair
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Wanda Mcnair joined the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society in the 1970's. Ever since then, she had been deeply involved in all aspects of growing, showing, and sharing her knowledge with her fellow members, and with perfect strangers, whom she would invite to join our local branch as well as our national society, and then get them to grow rare and exotic plants!
When I joined Buxton, after her gentle coaxing, I began to see that she was involved in so many ways, from acquiring plants for our shows, to providing cuttings and starts at all of our meetings, to increasing our member numbers as Membership Chair, and, she also made presentations on Begonias at our meetings and at local garden centers and garden clubs, and was involved in maintaining a botanic garden's begonia collection.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our greatest Begonia grower members, and mentor to us all, Wanda Mcnair. She passed away on August 19, 2021, and was 90 years old. She touched all of us in so many ways, encouraging all of us to grow wonderful plants and to get involved, while performing in the various roles she played for our local and national societies, as well as the Gesneriad societies.
From our President, Mike Mack:
"I am very sorry to report to you that our much beloved member, Wanda Macnair, has passed away. [Her obituary is attached.] Wanda and Dick, received the Charles Jaros Award honoring their lifetime achievement in support of begonias and ABS. Wanda was also honored in having a begonia named after her. She was boundless in her enthusiasm for begonias and in her support for those newly interested in begonias, myself included. She and Dick, who remains active as our Treasurer, were always involved and dedicated members of ABS and of Buxton. She will be sorely missed. The executive committee is working on an appropriate way to recognize her incredible contributions. " Mike Mack
Our condolences to her husband, Richard Mcnair, their son, Douglas, and the entire Mcnair family, friends and acquaintances. Wanda, you will be missed greatly. RIP.
Please check out the link to the Lasting Memories website created by her son, where you can read about her incredibly full life as well as share your condolences, photos, and stories of Wanda:
Lasting Memories - Wanda Mcnair
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanda Mcnair joined the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society in the 1970's. Ever since then, she had been deeply involved in all aspects of growing, showing, and sharing her knowledge with her fellow members, and with perfect strangers, whom she would invite to join our local branch as well as our national society, and then get them to grow rare and exotic plants!
When I joined Buxton, after her gentle coaxing, I began to see that she was involved in so many ways, from acquiring plants for our shows, to providing cuttings and starts at all of our meetings, to increasing our member numbers as Membership Chair, and, she also made presentations on Begonias at our meetings and at local garden centers and garden clubs, and was involved in maintaining a botanic garden's begonia collection.
Wanda always provided a hearty greeting to new members when they would walk in to our meetings. Most times, she would put a rare begonia cutting in a new member’s hand and say “Try it dear!” She would follow up to see how they were doing with their plant, and then would point out another plant that they might also want to try. She was just as likely to say to you “Dear, enter your plants in the Boston Flower Show”, as well as “Dear, would you please propagate these begonia leaves for sale plants at our next show?” And though you may have never done either of these things IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE, because of the praises and encouragement she showered on you every time you saw her, you felt a tremendous need to succeed which then turned into confidence and trust that surely you can do such things because Wanda thinks so!
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Tim Anderson, of Palm Hammock Orchid Estate in Florida, named a hybrid Rex Begonia in her name. Here are three photos of Begonia 'Wanda Mcnair', both the left photo (taken by the late Charles Jaros), and the photo on the right, are of the Best Rex Begonia at the Annual Buxton Plant Show in 2013, grown by our member Stuart Hammer, and the center photo is from Sally Savelle, of the plant she is currently growing.
The late Charles Jaros, past President of ABS, had this to say about Wanda Macnair:
“Wanda was the first person I met when I went to my first ABS function, which was the 1975 Eastern Region Convention that was held in Boston. Wanda was, of course, plant sales chair and I had brought some plants for the sale and was promptly put to work. Wanda made me and my mother feel so very welcome. It is something I will never forget.”
Wanda and Richard Mcnair would receive the Charles Jaros Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, for all of their work for ABS and the local branch.
Photo of Dick and Wanda Mcnair, 2018, with the Charles Jaros Lifetime Achievement Award, photo by Sally Savelle.
They both would haul many of their plants from their extensive and unusual glass terrarium plant collections to our shows, or to the Boston Flower Show, or to our meetings. They would fill up their trusty station wagon, or SUV, with everything packaged just so, and both were a walking encyclopedia for each plant, right down to the history of the terrarium each plant came in! Some of her plants were photographed for inclusion in Dr. Mark Tebbitt's book on Begonias!
Wanda always managed to win the Sweepstakes Award for submitting the most number of plants to be judged, then she also would also get the prize for having the most Blue Ribbons, and to top it off, would walk away with the Best In Show for one of her meticulously grown plants. This she handily did at our 2013 Buxton Plant Show where her unusual terrarium with her Begonia sizemoreae was the Best In Show Winner.
“Wanda was the first person I met when I went to my first ABS function, which was the 1975 Eastern Region Convention that was held in Boston. Wanda was, of course, plant sales chair and I had brought some plants for the sale and was promptly put to work. Wanda made me and my mother feel so very welcome. It is something I will never forget.”
Wanda and Richard Mcnair would receive the Charles Jaros Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, for all of their work for ABS and the local branch.
Photo of Dick and Wanda Mcnair, 2018, with the Charles Jaros Lifetime Achievement Award, photo by Sally Savelle.
They both would haul many of their plants from their extensive and unusual glass terrarium plant collections to our shows, or to the Boston Flower Show, or to our meetings. They would fill up their trusty station wagon, or SUV, with everything packaged just so, and both were a walking encyclopedia for each plant, right down to the history of the terrarium each plant came in! Some of her plants were photographed for inclusion in Dr. Mark Tebbitt's book on Begonias!
Wanda always managed to win the Sweepstakes Award for submitting the most number of plants to be judged, then she also would also get the prize for having the most Blue Ribbons, and to top it off, would walk away with the Best In Show for one of her meticulously grown plants. This she handily did at our 2013 Buxton Plant Show where her unusual terrarium with her Begonia sizemoreae was the Best In Show Winner.
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Wanda (and Dick) have won so many awards, yet all the while, their biggest achievement has been nurturing an interest in growing and showing plants in many people she met over the years.
Every time I saw Wanda, I would walk away having learned something new about begonias, and most of all, I would feel a sense of accomplishment, and inclusion in the Begonia Growers Family! Not a meeting would go by that Wanda didn’t say to me “I’m so proud of you!” And her words will live in me for the rest of my life.
-Gloria Utzig ABS, Buxton Member
Every time I saw Wanda, I would walk away having learned something new about begonias, and most of all, I would feel a sense of accomplishment, and inclusion in the Begonia Growers Family! Not a meeting would go by that Wanda didn’t say to me “I’m so proud of you!” And her words will live in me for the rest of my life.
-Gloria Utzig ABS, Buxton Member
Here are comments from our various members, and please feel free to submit your own to us for inclusion here.
Remembering Wanda Macnair
Betsy Szymczak
Past President, Buxton Branch
I was so sorry to hear of Wanda’s death. She was truly one-of-a-kind; we are all much better
people and begonia growers for having spent time with her. I joined Buxton in 2012 and in this
short time I have many memories of Wanda.
My first memory of Wanda was at a branch meeting in Wellesley. I had only been to a couple
of meetings and was just getting to know the “regulars”. Wanda knew I was new and probably
not very skilled, but before I could say “do you really think I can do this”, she handed me a
recycled plastic cookie bowl filled with moss and about 6 B. turrialbae leaves and said, “Here you
go dear, propagate these begonias!” Much to my surprise I did; I still have that begonia and the
cookie bowl!
Wanda had a few favorite terrarium begonias including B. luzonensis and B. rajah. She gave me
both and I had great success with B. luzonensis, not so much with B. rajah. I wanted my B.
rajah to look like hers; when I asked, she always had another one for me. To my great surprise,
today, a tiny B. rajah from about three years ago finally fills a bowl and looks like hers.
Wanda’s love of outdoor gardening was evident when every fall, in addition to begonias, she
would bring produce from the garden in Maine, squash, garlic and sometimes tomatoes. One
time she handed me a head of garlic. I didn’t grow garlic at the time and asked how she grew
it. At the next meeting, she gave me a few more heads. Today my annual garlic harvest all
started with what we call the “Wanda” garlic.
I am so grateful to have known Wanda, her legacy of amazing horticultural skill and generosity
was a gift to all who knew her.