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It is with the deepest sadness that I inform you of the death of former SRGC President, T. Glassford Sprunt. Glassford passed away peacefully on 21st October surrounded by his family.
After a successful medical career as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, it might have been expected that Glassford would be happy to enjoy a quiet retirement - but that was not his style!
An enthusiastic and hardworking Club member, right from his early days with SRGC in the 1970s, Glassford worked in a myriad of ways with the Club to which he was so involved. It was a mystery to many of us how he managed to find the time to build, at his home in Bridge of Allan, a bespoke alpine house, which held many of his fine Show plants, as well as housing a huge range of Cyclamen from which he developed tremendous leaf variations. His love of bulbs lead to his involvement in the setting up of the Bulb Day events of SRGC.
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Bulb Day at the Victoria Hall, Dunblane
Always working for his local Stirlingshire Group, he was also the keeper for many years of the Club’s back issues of the Rock Garden, the Club ‘s bookseller and the supplier of plant labels. He served as the Club’s President in the early 1990s (over the period of the 1991 International Alpines Conference) and turned his carpentry skills to construction of display stands for SRGC for Scotland’s Garden Show in the 2000s. In quiet moments( I use this term loosely) compiled the full index for the Rock Garden over many, many years, adding to that his indexing of the International Rock Gardener for the first ten years of its existence, served as a determined and accurate proof-reader, he wrote articles for the journal and website, he prepared name badges for Discussion Weekends, checked the Seed Exchange listings and much, much more. On top of this, he very seldom missed any SRGC event, contributing many photos to the Club’s Show reports. He was a keen exhibitor for some years, with no small success. He won four Forrest Medals with beautifully grown and presented plants from Dionysia to Daphne. The SRGC recognised his contribution with the award of the Golden Jubilee Salver in 2001. He also served for many years on the RHS Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee.
It is not too much of an exaggeration to declare that without Glassford’s contributions a great deal of the work of the SRGC would have been found wanting.
It was a measure of Glassford’s dedication to the Club that even in recent years, when in his nineties, his health was not good and he was unable to attend the events as had been his wont, he still worked to contribute in other ways to the work of the Club with things he could work on at home. He believed strongly that the Club had a vital part to play in the horticultural life not only of Scotland, but also internationally, and was passionate about the provision of information freely to the benefit of all.
In 2013 , at the SRGC Early Bulb Day held in Dunblane on 16th February 2013 , the President of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society was in attendance to present a Certificate of Merit from the RCHS (or "the Caley" as it is affectionately known) to SRGC past President and devoted supporter, Glassford Sprunt. It was wonderful to see Glassford honoured in this way at an SRGC event - such awards are usually made at the Caley AGM but this was a very happy exception and very moving to see Glassford given this award in the presence of so many SRGC members.
The then President of the Caley, Pam Whittle, read the citation for the award which described some of Glassford's many contributions to the gardening community before presenting Glassford with his certificate. The certificate reads : ...."in recognition of your highly regarded and significant contribution to horticulture and gardening in Scotland "
Glassford recalled that he had first become interested in plants when, at a very tender age, he was taken with his sister to "Woolworth's" and bought some " Bees - Seeds that grow".
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Glassford has been a loyal and hardworking supporter of SRGC over many decades and his love of this Club was evident in our last conversations with him, in what was to be his final illness. While his loss is one felt most keenly by those who knew and loved him, it is a comfort to know that he has died peacefully, with his beloved wife Deirdre and his treasured family around him.
We send them our fondest condolences and vow never to forget Glassford, a precious friend and inspiration.
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