Du Quoin couple honored as Master Gardeners for 2020

The U of I Extension Service has named a Du Quoin couple as two of this year's Outstanding Master Gardener Award winners.

Don and Beverly Harsy are being celebrated for the quality of the programs they put on, the dedication they bring to every project they undertake and their tireless volunteer spirit.

"Master Gardeners are more than just gardening enthusiasts," the U of I extension said in a news release announcing the awards. "They are trained horticultural experts who serve their communities through service projects and delivery of educational programs."

The Harsys, who have been Perry County Master Gardeners since 2008, help maintain flower beds at Five Star Industries, Pinckneyville City Hall, Pinckneyville High School and the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds among others.

They also like to get involved with kids, and have put on memorable programs for 4-H youths and others that relate to horticulture and the environment.

For both Don and Bev, the dive into gardening didn't happen until retirement gave them the time. Bev and a friend had signed up for the Master Gardener class, and then talked Don into joining them. Don had been a farm kid, whose mother had a magical green thumb.

"Anything she put into the ground would grow," he said.

Once he arrived at the class, "it was exciting to get into it," Don Harsy said.

Bev Harsy said both she and Don were interested in learning more about the outdoors.

"We like to be outside," she said, "and we like to be able to help people, and inform them."

Don, she said, is the outgoing person of the duo. "He can get in front of people and talk to them easily."

Don Harsy gets energized by being out and about, working on something meaningful, like showing kids how to catch a bass inside Pyramid State Park (and then clean it), or building a a garden at the Manor At Mason Woods in Pinckneyville that is right at the eye level of residents in wheelchairs.

"It's great to get out and be around people," he said. "It makes you feel great."

Jean Bullock, president of the Du Quoin Garden Club, knows the Harsys well, particularly Bev, who is a member of the garden club.

"They are so deserving of this award," Bullock said Thursday. "Bev is a go-getter - always available, and always in the middle of everything at Garden Club."

Besides their community projects the Harsys have a spectacular garden at their own house. Don says they will never be done tinkering with it, and every year they get an idea for something new.

The Harsys have helped lead youth programming through Club D.I.G.S. (Doing Interesting Garden Stuff), a 4-H special interest club for third and fourth-grade students. During the summer, they devote time volunteering with the 4-H Kids in the park summer program at Pyramid State Park and the Helping Hands Farm Stand at the Du Quoin State Fair.

Fellow Master Gardeners describe the Harsys as being "systematic and methodical in their planning," noting that audiences appreciate the "how-to" emphasis they bring to their demonstrations. They were instrumental in establishing the Perry County Seed Library, a program that earned the group the Master Gardener Teamwork Award.

The Harsys also served as members of the Extension Council Board, a diverse group of representatives that serve in an advisory capacity to address and make recommendations on strategic planning and programming for the local community.

"We appreciate the great impact Don and Beverly continue to have in our community through their service to the Master Gardener program. This award is just one small way to recognize the great work that they do," stated Horticulture Educator Austin Little.

This year's awardees will be recognized through a virtual ceremony on Friday, Oct. 2.