Faces of Green Spring
by Ivy Sinaiko
For several years I have been fortunate to work with Debbie Waugh as a coeditor of Gardenline. Last winter, as we sat and discussed what articles we planned for the next edition, she told me a little about her history. “Wow,” I said, “that is quite a story!” Debbie has agreed to let me share her story with you.
Debbie Waugh outside the Historic House. Photo credit: Elizabeth Waugh Debbie is the historian at Green Spring. She is the impetus behind many fascinating tea programs and other special events offered there. Her knowledge of a wide range of subjects has always impressed me, as have her enthusiasm and her ability to inspire that same enthusiasm in her audiences.
Debbie came to New York City from her native Scotland in 1985 to take a job with a travel company. She had planned to stay in the US only a year or two, but she fell in love with the city and with her future husband, a transplanted Englishman. During her stay in New York City, she subsequently worked for the American Council for the Arts and a public relations firm. She feels these jobs helped her develop her skills in writing and working with the public.
Her job with the public relations firm brought her to the Washington, D.C. area. Her family grew with the birth of a daughter who now works at Green Spring as the lead teacher in Children’s Education. But I’m getting ahead of myself. When her daughter was in elementary school, Debbie decided to withdraw from the workplace so that she could spend more time at home. However, she found she needed some outside stimulation, so in 2001 she joined the first Master Gardener class at Green Spring. This training led to further positions: a Virginia Native Plant internship in 2002 and then a part-time position in Green Spring’s Children’s Education program. When the position of Green Spring Historian opened up in 2006, she decided to take the plunge back into the full-time work world, thinking she would give the job a couple of years and see how it worked out. That was 15 years ago, luckily for all of us.
Debbie is still enjoying her job and passionate about the history of Green Spring. As she says, so many people have lived there, perhaps not household names but very interesting characters nevertheless. The diversity of the Historic House’s occupants makes for many absorbing topics of research and discussion.
We are fortunate to have Debbie as the bellwether of excellence and knowledge that she is. We look forward to many more informative teas and if we continue to be lucky, more scotch tastings!
