Staff Lead Highlight:
Elizabeth Langford, Horticulturalist
Staff Highlights are a great way for volunteers to get to know our staff and for staff to share their work with volunteers.
Elizabeth Langford has been long acquainted with the outdoors and gardening which in part led her to an Apprenticeship position with Five Rivers MetroParks at Aullwood Garden in 2014. In 2022, Beth became the horticultural technician, then in early 2023, she became the Site Leader at Aullwood Garden and in the fall of 2023, she became the Horticulturalist.
The path traveled to her present position as the Horticulturalist at Aullwood Garden began years ago. Beth Langford grew up just a stone's throw away from Aullwood Garden. While Marie Aull was tending her garden beds, Beth was learning and helping her parents with caring for the family's large vegetable garden which they planted every year. Not surprisingly, her siblings didn't quite care for weeding, but Beth didn't mind. At the age of 14, she asked her parents if she could have a garden to grow vegetables and flowers while continuing to help care for the family's garden. Her parents approved.
In the late '70s, Beth drove by Aullwood Garden one spring day and thought it was a lovely place but didn't know it was open to the public. Driving by another day, she saw signage on the gate with the hours the garden was open to the public. Visiting the garden, she fell in love with it. Seeing a lady working in one of the flower beds in the Sycamore lawn, she thought it would be wonderful to work in such a beautiful garden.
When Beth worked as an Apprentice at Aullwood, she learned of the history of John and Marie and the great impact they had on the community in various ways. Gardening and history are woven together - a perfect match as Beth has a passion for both. The Apprentice position had a fixed time of completion. Once completed, Beth worked as a Horticultural Technician at Riverscape, as well as other positions outside of Five Rivers MetroParks. During this time, she continued as a volunteer assisting with trail work in various MetroPark locations, controlled prairie burns as well as volunteering at Aullwood Garden, helping with the upkeep of the garden beds and with the annual Winter Luminary walk. Beth is delighted to come around full circle from all those years ago with thoughts of how wonderful it would be to work in such a beautiful garden.
Volunteering is something Beth is very familiar with. Having moved to northeast Ohio for a few years, Beth served on the Fairview Park, Ohio Tree City USA committee. Moving to New York and having three school-aged children, she volunteered in the elementary library, the local community library, and the Middle School Drama Club working on stage designs, assisting with costumes and stage design for high school musicals, music boosters which annually held a paper recycling drive fundraiser, was a part of the Holland Beautification committee, did yearly flower bed maintenance at a local church and was a member of the Holland Garden Club. She was also a Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout Den Leader, and Scoutmaster.
Presently, her focus is assisting with the needs of her elderly mother which keeps her busy on her off days. Beth very much understands the great treasure we have with our volunteers who take time out of their busy schedules to help with the needs of the historic garden and home of John and Marie Aull. She shared, "They are truly a blessing as they assist in all seasons, whether it be creating interesting and educational window displays, raking, weeding, planting, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance, prairie burns, event preparation, historical research as well as relating the fascinating pieces of history to visitors as well as sharing plant knowledge they have learned along the way. Their dedication, love, and respect for the legacy of John and Marie show in the continuing beauty of Aullwood Garden allowing visitors to step into a rich heritage graciously gifted to Five Rivers MetroParks and thereby the community by John and Marie Aull. Their gift of volunteering is a gift that keeps on giving!"
Join Beth and other Aullwood Garden staff at one of the upcoming Aullwood Gardener shifts! View Aullwood Gardener volunteer opportunities here. Or join us for our next Volunteer Open House, where you can meet one-on-one, in person, with a Volunteer Coordinator and learn how you can support this opportunity! Click here to RSVP to an upcoming Open House.
Thank you, Beth, for being a true supporter of volunteers and volunteerism at MetroParks!
In honor of Women's History Month, we profile some of Five Rivers MetroParks' female employees, like Beth Langford, who keep your parks beautiful, safe and open year-round. Check it out here on the MetroParks blog.
Volunteer Services is available if you have questions or need assistance with Get Connected.
Contact us at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or call #937-275-7275 and ask to speak with a Volunteer Coordinator.
Return to the Volunteer Blog here.
