Russell Brannon of Canton and April’s Volunteer of the Month for Cherokee FOCUS poses for a photo at Reinhardt College near Gordy Center on Friday morning. Brannon volunteers at Reinhardt College with the Burgess Arboretum and helps with plant sales, installing plant labels and indexing.
Photo by Samantha Wilson
Photo by Samantha Wilson
Russell Brannon of Canton spent 200 hours last year working on the arboretum. He is the chair of the Burgess Arboretum project for the Master Gardeners of Cherokee County.
His work on the Arboretum has earned him the recognition of Volunteer of the Month for April from Families of Cherokee United in Service.
The Burgess Arboretum was developed by the late Reinhardt president Dr. James Burgess Jr., who planted about 1,200 trees and shrubs on the campus.
According to Zach White, Reinhardt College's horticulturalist, Brannon has helped with every project on the arboretum. He has helped with plant sales to raise money for the arboretum, installed plant labels on trees and helped index the original arboretum.
When White took on the arboretum restoration project, he realized he would not be able to do the job by himself. He credits Brannon's assistance as part of the reason for the project's success.
"Russell has been a tremendous help," White said. "We could not have gotten done we have gotten done without his help."
A map is currently being developed of the 125 plants and trees that have been identified so far. Brannon hopes the map will be ready later this summer.
"People can go on a self-guided walking tour," Brannon said. "They could come here on their own and find the trees that they want to see."
He said an effort is underway to put tags on the other 225 plants and trees that have been identified.
His work with the arboretum combines two areas White has long enjoyed: gardening and volunteering.
"I enjoy trees and shrubs. I got a few in my own yard," he said, adding that he and his wife Sandra have been "amateur gardeners" since they have been married.
Throughout his life, Brannon has volunteered when the opportunity has presented itself. He has worked with organizations such as United Way, the Jaycees and donated blood.
"It is part of my nature," he said about finding the time to help out in the community. He credits a group of about 25 volunteers from the master gardeners for their help on the arboretum.
Brannon said more volunteers are welcome to work on the arboretum. For more information, call (770) 720-5988.
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