Volunteer Spotlight: Odie Cowden

By Greta Engel

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

At age 92, Odie Cowden has been volunteering at Phipps for about 30 years. She still enjoys spending time with all the friends she has made throughout her years at the Conservatory! Before retiring, Odie spent 30 years teaching at Moon Area School District. During that time, she got married and had a son and a daughter. She now has a grandson who is the light of her life! In her free time, Odie enjoys reading, golfing, swimming and, most of all, gardening. In search of a new opportunity after retiring, Odie asked an employee at Phipps if they were looking for volunteers. “He pointed me to the volunteer coordinator and the rest is history,” she says.

Odie has always been interested in plants! “As I child, I’d go with my dad to his victory garden during WWII and lug water from a creek to water his plants. That’s what started it all,” she says. After taking Master Gardener and docent classes at Phipps, Odie began volunteering as a docent. She then spent many years helping in the greenhouses and outdoor gardens. Since then, she has mainly been working on displays. To describe her daily volunteer work, Odie says, “sometimes, it’s winding miles of ribbon or covering wire frames of animals with material so their ‘fur’ can be added later. One time it was washing the buildings that were used in the railroad display.” Odie has become great friends with the same group of volunteers who do this work!

Odie’s favorite part of volunteering is the people she has met, describing them as a wonderful blessing. She also enjoys the myriad of plants and finds the changing of the seasons to be uplifting. “You can’t walk around the Conservatory or gardens without feeling free and happy. I’ve really enjoyed watching Phipps grow during my years there,” Odie shares. Phipps is lucky to have longstanding volunteers like Odie who make it such a magical place.