Acclaim for Frank Goodheart

Frank Goodhart, a longtime member of the Friends of Frelinghuysen Arboretum, earned a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry and enjoyed a productive career in the pharmaceutical industry.  He is also a noted conifer expert and past president of the American Conifer Society.  Frank shared his expertise in plant propagation, volunteering for a number of years at both Frelinghuysen and Willowwood Arboreta.  Frank played a central role in helping the Frelinghuysen Arboretum become a Reference Garden for the ACS.

Through the years, Frank amassed an impressive collection of dwarf conifers and other unusual companion plants.  He and his wife Joan have generously donated more than 50 plants representing 21 species to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum during the past year.  The Friends have helped with support for digging and transferring them.  Some of these are planted in the gravel garden near the small pond by the Haggerty Education Center.  The majority are located in the Pinetum, with a concentration at the southwest corner by Whippany Road.  Copper tags on the specimens include Frank’s name as donor, and new signage is planned that will provide more information about dwarf conifers and their use in gardens.

Symposium organizer Judy Snow presented Frank with a framed certificate which recognizes Frank as a “longtime member, dedicated volunteer and noted conifer expert who, along with his wife Joan, has donated a valuable collection of rare dwarf conifers to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, where they will be enjoyed and studied by visitors for years to come.”