2007 Scholarships

ALNLA Presents Annual Scholarship Awards

MOBILE, Ala. (March 9, 2007) — During this year’s Gulf States Horticultural Expo in Mobile, the Alabama Nursery & Landscape Association (ALNLA) awarded scholarships worth more than $14,000.

Cheryl Boyer and Joshua Smitherman were awarded the Harold B. Thornhill Scholarship. Originally from Oklahoma, Boyer holds a BS in Landscape Architecture and a MS in Horticulture. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Horticulture at Auburn University, and she is evaluating whole chipped pine trees and clean chip residual as an alternative substrate for container grown plants. Smitherman, a Clanton, Ala.-native, grew a love for horticulture spending childhood summers working on his uncle’s peach farm. Today, he holds a 4.0 GPA at Auburn University, and plans to complete his BS in Horticulture - Landscape Design, Greenhouse/Nursery Production in May.

The ALNLA Nursery House Scholarship was awarded to William Harbison, Diana Cochran, and Charity Humphrey. Harbison, an Arab, Ala.-native, is currently working toward a BS in Horticulture - Landscaping at Auburn University. After graduation, he plans to start his own commercial landscaping business. Diana Cochran, a Mobile native, holds a BS in Horticulture from Auburn University, and is currently slated to complete her MS in Horticulture - Nursery Production from Auburn in August. Her research is focused on use of herbicides in propagation, with four studies promising useful results for Alabama producers. Humphrey hails from the Birmingham area and is due to complete a degree in Landscape Technology and Landscape Design from Jefferson State Community College in May. She plans to begin a career as a landscape designer following graduation.

Anna Marie Murphy and Kaye Jennigan received the Ben J. Harwell Scholarship. Murphy, a Dothan native, is seeking a degree in Horticulture - Landscape Contracting from Auburn University. She says her ultimate goal is to be an international “horticulture missionary,” using landscaping to build relationships that would allow her to share her strong faith. Jennigan, an Auburn native, began college intending to become a civil engineer, but after working in a small nursery, changed her major to horticulture.  Slated to graduate in May with a degree in Horticulture - Nursery and Greenhouse Production from Auburn, Jennigan has already become a Georgia Green Associated Certified Plant Professional.   

The Thomas S. Graves Scholarship went to Veronica (Roni) Caswell. Caswell is a native of Baker, Fla., a small town near Andalusia, Ala., and she has worked for nine years as a registered nurse. In May, she will receive her BS in Horticulture - Nursery and Greenhouse Management from Auburn, successfully completing a 4.0 GPA college career. She plans to begin a family-run wholesale nursery.