We are saddened to report the death on November 16 of John Trexler, former Executive Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden and a past Garden Club of the Back Bay supporter and speaker. As the new Director of the WCHS, John Trexler arrived in 1984 to find a board looking at options but unsure of the best path forward. Their youthful “benign dictator” championed moving to the countryside and led an ambitious planning process with a fifty-year horizon. John collaborated with an inspired staff, a committed board and generous backers to create thirty acres of gardens. Translating creative ideas into action takes artistry as well as resilience and navigational savvy. He published Tower Hill: The First Twenty-Five Years in 2017. A memorial is planned in March or April of 2020 and we will share the information when received.