The early May afternoon of the JC Raulston Arboretum’s 2002 “Gala in the Garden” opened cool and overcast, but that didn’t seem to dampen anybody’s spirits.

The weather improved as the afternoon unfolded, and spirits definitely soared when the arboretum’s advancement staff later tallied gifts. Led by a $10,000 donation from the North Carolina Association of Nurserymen, corporate donations totaled $42,000, and the silent and live auctions garnered another $22,000, said Donna Walker, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences development associate and the event’s coordinator.

Also, Bobby Brown announced that the A.E. Finley Foundation, of which he is board president, had voted to give $100,000 to the arboretum’s endowment fund.

“This gift will go into the Marian Nottingham Finley and Marian Nottingham Rice Rose Garden Endowment,” Brown said, “and enables us to name the new rooftop terrace at the McSwain Education Center.” The endowment will be used to support the Finley Rose Garden and as a source of unrestricted funds for the benefit of the arboretum at the discretion of its director.

The day’s initial clouds were offset by the bright primary colors provided by red, green, blue, orange and purple pinwheels. Often just blurs in the brisk breeze, they bordered well-tended paths and complemented flower arrangements bedecking six spacious tents, under which approximately 575 attendees decked out in garden-party finery perused hundreds of items donated for the silent auction. Bidding was fiercest among the rows of healthy ornamentals in the Botanical Quintessentials area.

As attendees strolled from tent to tent, deciding on their silent auction bids, a nearby mockingbird competed with N.C. State’s Jazz Band’s swing, big band and jazz tunes and the weather turned sunny.

“The gala has become a magnet of sorts, attracting additional income from those wanting to invest in the JCRA’s long-term success,” said Dr. Bob Lyons, JC Raulston distinguished professor of horticultural science and the arboretum’s director.

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Dean James Oblinger of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences launched the formal program. Phyllis York Brookshire of Raleigh chaired the event.

—Art Latham