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| Wilhelmina "Billie" Greene |
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| Ray Greene Photograph courtesy of Rollins College Archives |
Wilhelmina "Billie" Greene lived in Winter Park for over 70 years, from 1919 until her death in 1991. She was a nationally recognized botanical artist known for her sketches and paintings of flowers. Billie was known and respected as an amateur horticulturist, world traveler, lecturer, and writer.
"An Interview with Mrs. Wilhelmina "Billie" Greene" by Mrs. Marjorie R. Muller was taped October 5, 1981. Click on the links below to hear selections from the 60 minute tape of Mrs. Greene's recollections of Winter Park, her husband Ray Greene, her artwork, and her love of plants and flowers.
To learn more about Mrs. Greene and see some examples of her artwork, click here to go to The Wilhelmina "Billie" Greene Collection which resides on The Winter Park Public Library History and Archives Web site.
Below are the selections from Mrs. Greene's oral history interview.
Mrs. Greene talks about Rollins College, Dr. Hamilton Holt and the "Animated Magazine". Click here to hear her recollections of the college during Hamilton Holt's presidency. Below is the written transcript of this audio excerpt.
Mrs. Muller: " So you had four years of high school at the Academy on the Rollins College campus?".
Mrs. Greene: "Yes".
Mrs. Muller: " Well, after the Academy, where did you go to college?"
Mrs. Greene: "I went up to Goucher because mother wouldn't let me go any further north the first year, and the Baltimore climate is not so hot. I went to Oberlin in Ohio the next year, which is a very excellent college. Then, I came back here because Ray thought that mother wasn't too well. Father had died, and he didn't want me leaving mother alone Also, I came back because Dr. Holt came to Rollins".
Mrs. Muller: " I had heard that Dr. Holt was an outstanding president of Rollins College and did a great deal for the college. You probably remember him very well. Perhaps you could tell us of some of his accomplishments".
Mrs. Greene: "Dr. Holt put Rollins on the map, especially with the conference plan. He had a few outstanding teachers, and we met around big tables. It was a perfectly excellent thing, but, of course, it cost a lot. But Dr. Holt was very good at raising money, and he raised money for the chapel, the theatre, and all the Mediterranean buildings, and he got loans from the government for the dormatories. Also, he had what I thought was the most wonderful thing we have ever had here, and that was the "Animated Magazine". You see, he was an editor, and he edited the "Animated Magazine". He invited very outstanding people to come here and talk".
Rollins College, The Winter Park Hospital, Park Avenue and the City of Winter Park itself has benefitted from Mrs. Greene's talents as an artist and gardener. Click here to learn more about her contributions of beautiful landscape projects in Winter Park. Below is the written transcript of this audio excerpt.
Mrs. Muller: " Besides your being a winner of many ribbons and being the best known person that I have heard of around these parts--from your beautiful flower arrangements and from growing them--I also have heard about you from your civic work. You did a great deal for Winter Park Memorial Hospital, for Rollins College, and for Winter Park as a city itself. So, I think this is something we ought to hear a little bit about".
Mrs. Greene: "Well, I made out plans for the plantings at the hospital--at least I had an architect make them. Then, I advertised for certain plants that we needed, and went out with the prisoners and got some great big palms and put those in. the first planting practically cost us nothing, because we got the work from the County. I've always been interested in city beautification and helped plant trees everyplace. There are a whole bunch on the road going under the pass to Maitland, and then a lot of trees coming into Winter Park from Maitland. Then, coming down North Park Avenue, June and I planted magnolias, and then a live oak. They didn't all live, but there are some beautiful magnolias still there. But, the main thing is, when I landscaped Ray's Greeneda Court, I did some planting outside and that was what started the planting around North Park Avenue. Mrs. Eve Proctor came down and talked to me about it and looked at ours. Then she went up and started planting around North Park Avenue. She was responsible for all of the palms, and they have been beautiful. For the college I organized the alums and they all gave money. We had a landscape man do the plans and the alums got a lot of plants. We planted a lot of camelias there which the young people enjoyed picking, but they are gone now".