Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture

Opening Day of the Library, September 12, 1972

The Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture was made possible through the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society at Strybing Arboretum (formerly the Strybing Arboretum Society) and the generosity of private donors and foundations. The building was dedicated and presented to the city of San Francisco on April 11, 1972 and the library was opened to the public on September 12 of that year.

The Library was named after Mrs. Henry P. Russell (Helen Crocker Russell), a keen amateur gardener and horticulturist who was for many years a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Society. A member of the pioneer Crocker family which is identified with cultural and educational development in San Francisco, Mrs. Russell generously supported and actively served on the boards of many organizations, both locally and nationally. For these reasons, it was felt that a library of books on gardening and horticulture, open to the general public, would be a most appropriate and useful memorial to a woman who contributed so much to San Francisco.

Photo: (left to right) Richard Dillon, Jane Coney, Quentin Kopp