Fall - Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs

District PRESIDENTS
Shenandoah District - Mary K. Burke
A proud member of the Valley GC in Front Royal
since 1982, Mary has served as President, Treasurer and
headed most commitees through the years. A member
of Shenandoah District Board for the past fifteen years
has been both an exciting and rewarding experience for
her. She has also found that serving as Treasurer and
Chaplain and chairing several committees was challenging
and satisfying. Mary says that “Garden club
is a wonderful way of life, and I have made so many
cherished friends.”
A resident of Front Royal for fifty-seven years, Mary is a member of the
Front Royal United Methodist Church where she sang in the Sanctuary Choir for
fifty-nine years. She is also on the Board of Trustees and is active in the United
Methodist Women.
Mary’s them for the next two years is “Plant & Bloom . . . with an Emphasis
on Perenial Gardening.”
South Central District - Valerie A. Virkler
Val has been involved in garden club activities since
2009 when she was invited to join Chatham’s Friends
and Flowers Garden Club. She is currently serving as
Vice-President of Friends and Flowers.
Val graduated from Rutgers College where she received
a BA degree with a major in mathematics education.
After teaching for a short time, she was a systems
analyst with Automatic Data Processing and Acxiom. In
1997, she and her husband, Bob, founded a motorsports
engineering business. Val handles the financial aspects
of the motorsports business, and does financial analysis
for other companies on a consulting basis.
Since moving from New Jersey in 2007, Val has delighted in learning about the
flowers, trees and wildlife that thrive in Southside Virginia. She also enjoys cooking,
reading, genealogy projects, travel and hiking wherever the path may lead.
The theme for her administration is Growing Together, and she looks forward to
working and growing with the members of the South Central District garden clubs.
8 www.virginiagardenclubs.org