Gift to fund improvements at OSU Botanical Garden
STILLWATER — The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University has received a significant gift from a longtime volunteer to support projects, infrastructure and programs for years to come.
Barbara Pass, a twotime OSU alumna who died in January, created an endowment to support the garden where she worked countless hours. The Barbara K. Pass Endowment for The Botanic Garden at OSU will generate about $40,000 annually.
Lou Anella, director of the botanic garden and horticulture professor, said the gift is the first endowment to support the program.
Pass was an active volunteer and ambassador of the garden. She and her sister, Joyce Taylor, worked there every Tuesday and spent countless hours as volunteers, Anella said. Pass especially loved working in the Rock Garden and in the cactus and succulent patio garden, he said.
“Barbara’s gift will help us make some real infrastructure improvements for the gardens and programming. This gift is by far the largest contribution we’ve ever received,” Anella said in announcing the gift.
“Along with financial support, it provides credibility, confidence and moral support. It is having a real, almost emotional, impact on us. There is such a sense of pride that Barbara so greatly appreciated what we do.”
Pass grew up in Stillwater and was an athlete and musician while a student at OSU. Upon graduation, she became an accountant. When she received her master’s degree in computer science, her career transitioned to software engineer. After a successful career at Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she returned to Stillwater to retire in 2010.
The Botanic Garden at OSU is part of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which is dedicated to making available sciencebased information relevant to improving the quality of life for people in Oklahoma. The garden provides a place for faculty and staff to conduct research and teach, and is home to the OETA program “Oklahoma Gardening.”
From 10,000 to 12,000 visitors tour the botanic garden annually. It covers about 110 acres west of campus, with most of the plot dedicated to research related to plants, animals and the environment. There are also public gardens, a walking trail, creeks and an education center. Admission is free. For more information, go online to botanic garden.okstate.edu or call 405-744-5404.