Kate Sessions facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Sessions
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| Born |
Katherine Olivia Sessions
November 8, 1857 San Francisco, California
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| Died | March 24, 1940 (aged 82) San Diego, California
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Horticulturalist, landscape architect |
| Known for | "Mother of Balboa Park"; introduced trees and plants to San Diego |
Katherine Olivia "Kate" Sessions (born November 8, 1857 – died March 24, 1940) was an amazing American plant expert. She was a botanist (someone who studies plants), a horticulturalist (someone who grows plants), and a landscape architect (someone who designs outdoor spaces). Kate is famous for her work in San Diego, California. Many people call her the "Mother of Balboa Park."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kate Sessions was born in San Francisco, California. When she was six, her family moved to a farm near Lake Merritt in Oakland. She went to the University of California, Berkeley and earned a degree in natural science in 1881.
After college, Kate moved to San Diego in 1883. A friend asked her to come work as an eighth-grade teacher. She also became the vice principal at Russ School, which is now San Diego High School. Kate worked at the school for over a year. She then left to focus on her true passion: growing plants.
A Passion for Plants
In San Diego, Kate quickly started working with plants. In 1885, she bought her first plant nursery. A few years later, she owned a flower shop too! She also had large growing fields and nurseries in places like Coronado, Pacific Beach, and Mission Hills.
One of her nurseries, the Mission Hills Nursery, opened in 1910. It is still open today! Kate sold it to her employees, the Antonicelli brothers, in 1926.
Planting Balboa Park
In 1892, Kate made a special deal with the City of San Diego. She leased about 30 acres of land in Balboa Park. At that time, it was called City Park and was mostly empty land.
In return for using the land, Kate agreed to plant 100 trees in the park every year. She also promised to plant 300 trees each year in other parts of San Diego. Because of this deal, Balboa Park now has many old trees. These include cypress, pine, oak, pepper trees, and eucalyptus. She grew these trees from seeds brought from all over the world.
Kate also brought many new plants to San Diego. She is known for bringing and making the jacaranda tree popular. Its beautiful purple flowers are now common in the city. She also helped introduce many California native plants into gardens.
In 1900, Kate traveled to Baja California to find a special palm tree for the park. Later, she took a seven-month trip through Europe. There, she collected many different plant types that she later helped plant in Balboa Park.
Working with Others
Kate Sessions also helped start the San Diego Floral Association in 1907. She co-founded it with Alfred D. Robinson. This was the oldest garden club in Southern California. The club taught people in San Diego how to grow beautiful and edible plants. Before this, most yards in San Diego were just dirt and sagebrush.
Kate also worked with architect Hazel Wood Waterman. They designed gardens for a group of houses built by Alice Lee, a well-known person in San Diego, near Balboa Park.
Personal Life and Legacy
Kate Sessions never married. She lived to be 82 years old. She passed away in San Diego on March 24, 1940. She is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Honors and Recognition
Kate's work with plants and her many writings about them earned her international fame.
"Botanically speaking, I would call Miss Sessions a perennial, evergreen and everblooming."
On September 22, 1935, a day was dedicated to Kate Sessions at the California Pacific International Exposition. She was officially named the "Mother of Balboa Park." In 1939, she became the first woman to receive the important Frank N. Meyer medal from the American Genetic Association.
In San Diego, the Kate Sessions Elementary school in Pacific Beach is named after her. Also, Kate O. Sessions Memorial Park on Mount Soledad bears her name. This park is less than a mile from the school.
A bronze statue of Kate Sessions was put up in 1998. It is in a special spot in Balboa Park, near the Sixth Avenue entrance.
In 2006, the Women's Museum of California added Kate Sessions to the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame. She was honored as a "Trailblazer" for her amazing contributions.
Images for kids
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Kate Sessions, the "Mother of Balboa Park."
See also
In Spanish: Kate Sessions para niños
