The American Horticultural Therapy Association recently created a new award in memory of Charles A. Lewis, a horticulturalist whose enthusiastic efforts to make the natural world accessible to all were an inspiration to everyone who knew him.

The endowment for the award was established through an initial gift from Diane Relf and David Angle. AHTA strongly encourages those who lives were touched by Charlie, either directly or indirectly through his publications and his influence, to consider making a special donation to the endowment. Your donations will help us to ensure that Charlie's contributions to the field of HT will be remembered for many years to come. See the donations page to make a special gift.

About Charles A. Lewis

Charlie Lewis was a pioneer in the field of horticultural therapy. He held a deep-seated belief in the positive effects of nature on people, and throughout his distinguished career he sought to share that belief with others, through his many publications, his research, the innovative horticultural therapy programs he established, and his consulting activities.

Plants possess life-enhancing qualities that encourage people to respond to them. In a judgmental world, plants are non-threatening and non-discriminating. They are living entities that respond directly to the care that is given them, not to the intellectual or physical capacities of the gardener. In short, they provide a benevolent setting in which a person can take the first steps toward confidence.
	Charles A. Lewis Green Nature, Human Nature: The Meaning of Plants in Our Lives

One of Charlie's early endeavors was establishing a tenant gardening program in conjunction with the New York City Housing Authority, in the early 1960s. He later started a similar program with the Chicago Housing Authority. Over his more than 30 years in the horticultural field, Charlie was a plant breeder, a garden center operator, a director of Sterling Forest Gardens in Tuxedo, New York, an administrator of collections and research fellow at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, and a consultant in people-plant interactions.

Charlie published many articles on people-plant interactions in professional journals as well as in popular magazines and newspapers. His 1996 book, Green Nature, Human Nature: The Meaning of Plants in Our Lives, is still required reading for every horticultural therapist. (Green Nature, Human Nature is available for purchase through AHTA.)

About the Award

The Charles A. Lewis Excellence in Research Award was established by the AHTA in 2005, to honor Charlie's lifetime of contributions to the field of horticultural therapy.

In particular, the award seeks to honor outstanding research in the field, in the belief that the publication of evidence-based research demonstrating the effectiveness of horticultural therapy is critical. Such research can increase public awareness of HT benefits and help to make HT programs accessible to more people, as well as enhance the credibility of HT professionals everywhere.

The Charles A. Lewis Excellence in Research Award will be given annually to an individual (or a research group) who has published outstanding horticultural therapy research in a professional horticultural or medical journal. The recipient will be selected by a committee of the AHTA Board of Directors.

Nomination forms must be submitted to AHTA by May 30, 2008. Click here to download the nomination form.