Our Speakers

On Saturday, October 25th, eat lunch with and listen to

Mary Palmer Dargan of Dargan Landscape Architects

Mary Palmer Dargan, is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to earning her Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from LSU in 1981, she was education director and botanist at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Fine Art in Nashville. She is author of The Early English Kitchen Garden: Medieval Period to 1800. Continuing education has included professional courses at the Harvard School of Design. She has served on the National Advisory Committee of the Garden Conservancy, and is a former garden editor of Charleston Magazine. She serves on the board of the Cherokee Garden Library of the Atlanta History Center, and is a member of the Cherokee Garden Club (Garden Club of America). Mary Palmer Dargan joined the design studio in 1984; she became a principal in 1985.

Ms. Palmer and Hugh Dargan were married in Charleston, South Carolina in 1985. Together, they completed the British National Trust's course at West Dean in Sussex on Restoring Historic Landscapes that same year. In 1992, the Dargans were named by Southern Accents as two of the South's leading landscape architects; since then, their work has become increasing national in focus. Trophies and awards include both Regional and National Awards of Merit from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Several of their projects currently air on Ground Breakers and Secret Gardens Of... weekly, prime time television series produced by Home & Garden Television (HGTV). The Dargans’ projects have been featured in major gardening books and dozens of magazines and newspapers such as Garden Design, Southern Accents and The New York Times. They are also nationally known lecturers.

Both currently serve as Vice-Chairs of the Historic Preservation Professional Interest Group of the American Society of Landscape Architects—the largest and most active professional interest group in ASLA. For the past decade, the Dargans have consulted on site improvements at Brookgreen Gardens, home of the largest collection of outdoor sculpture in the world.

The lecture she will present in Tifton is entitled "Timeless Landscape Design." Her 2007 book, of the same title, will be available for sale and autographs. This is a fantastic opportunity to speak and interact with a consummate professional at the top of her profession.

Valerie DeRoy of Valerie DeRoy Interiors

Valerie DeRoy was born and raised in Paris, France. She first worked in the fashion and cosmetics industry, managing international luxury perfume and spa cosmetics brands. She was then hired away by Europe's top retailer to manage their tableware and home accessories product line, generating over $100 million a year in sales.

Valerie's extremely successful endeavors in the luxurious worlds of fashion, cosmetics, and home design naturally sharpened and expanded her keen esthetic eye as well as her passion for beauty, luxury and impeccable taste.

Relying on these experiences and armed with a strong will to create her own business, she started Valerie DeRoy Interiors, LLC in 1998. This enabled her to focus her passion for all things of beauty on what she has always loved: Home Decorating. Her projects have been featured in Southern Living, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, Atlanta Life and Today's Custom Homes magazines. In 2007 Ms. DeRoy was named one of Atlanta Home and Lifestyles magazine's top emerging talents -- one of "20 decorators under 40". She is married to Joel DeRoy who is the son of Lyn Lindskog DeRoy and Michel DeRoy. Joel and his family visited grandparents Cliff and Virginia Lindskog in Tifton every summer -- a Tifton connection.

Ms. DeRoy's lecture is entitled "Principles of Design: A French Decorator’s Secrets.”

Ms. Dargan's lecture will begin at 11.
Lunch will be served at 12:15
Ms. DeRoy's lecture will begin at 1:30

Lecture and luncheon tickets are for Saturday events only and will not include the $12 fee to attend the show and sale.
*Reservations by Oct. 17th, please. For more information call 229-382-6001.  Or, contact any Library Foundation Member.

Sunday, October 26th speakers

David Swoyer, Orchid Grower and Artist

David C. Swoyer received a bachelor's degree in fine art (painting) from Florida Southern College and a master's degree in art education (administration emphasis) from the University of South Florida. He has worked as senior curator, assistant director, and design consultant for art and general museums in New York, New Orleans, New Zealand, and Florida. He is presently working on projects with the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, The Southeast Museum of Photography, and the DeLand Museum of Art. He is teaching opaque painting and watercolor at Daytona Beach Community College.

David frequently judges art competitions. In the past 30 years, his paintings have been included in numerous exhibitions in the southeast. He is a published author and frequent lecturer on fine art, gardens and orchids.