VGC honors Barlow, Knapp, Thompson

Barlow and Knapp were recognized with the honor during the VGC’s December meeting, while Thompson, unable to attend the Dec. 14 event, was recognized during the January meeting.  President Cindy Galloway, noting their extensive contributions to the club over the years, presented the honorees vases of fresh roses and a painting depicting roses.

 The three club members have an astounding combined total of 111 years of membership in the Vidalia Garden Club. Barlow joined in 1967, Thompson in 1997 and Knapp in 1991. Along with serving as officers at various times in those years, all three have spent many hours helping with planting projects to beautify Vidalia, as well as projects to honor our city’s veterans.

In her 55 years of membership, Barlow has served as club vice-president and currently as recording secretary, as well as having chaired and served on several committees, including Yard of the Month, Christmas Décor Contest, Ways & Means and Nomination. 

A former Vidalia Elementary School teacher, she retired after 40 years and then taught for 10 years at Trinity Episcopal School. She is married to Malcolm Barlow and they have two children, George Barlow and Angela Barlow Cotton, and two grandchildren. She is a member of First Baptist Church, Vidalia.

Knapp, a native of Meadow Bridge, West Virginia, worked at the FBI in Washington, D.C., where she met her husband, Jimmy, while he served in the U.S. Air Force. 

The couple moved from Lanham, MD, to Vidalia in 1976. She joined the VGC in 1991 and has been both a Blue Ribbon and Best Overall flower show winner. She served as corresponding secretary for the past 25 years.

She and her husband reside on Lake Concordia and have three children, Ricky, David and Darla, eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.

Thompson was born and raised in rural Rapides Parish and moved to Vidalia in 1963. When she purchased Janel’s Flower Shop in Natchez in 1974, her love of flower arranging was born. 

She joined the VGC in 1997 after retiring from the flower shop business, a move that allowed her to be even more active in the community while continuing her passion for flowers and plants.

She was club treasurer for several years and served as chairman of the Blue Star Memorial Project, involving the club’s construction of a brick, patio-style area honoring area veterans that faces the Blue Star Plaque in the heart of town. The individual bricks bear the names of military veterans, primarily from the Concordia Parish area.  

Over the years, Thompson sold thousands of caladium bulbs for the club’s major fundraiser, as well as serving as chairman of that committee. She currently serves as parliamentarian. She’s a member of Vidalia First Baptist Church and was a choir member for many years. 

She and her husband Gene are the parents of Sherrill Byrd, Susie Ater, Holli Mangin, the late Richard Beard and the late Mary Fuentes. They have nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Vice president Pam Morace served as chairman of the Circle of Roses Committee.