Adele Bookman Burnett

Hello...I am the director emeritus of the Washington Park Arboretum. After noticing the obiturary, I have written the following notice for inclusion in our UW newsletter. I would appreciate being notified if there are any local gatherings in Adele's memory.
Howdy all.....I used to think that all the elders in my life only had stories of
old, dead or dying people. Now I am turning into one of those elders, and I am
telling the stories.......but I think this may be of interest to some of you.

Back in the 1980's, we had a large number of volunteers who populated the
receptionist desk, the gift shop and also lead tours in the Arboretum. One of
them was Adele Burnett. Now Adele moved to CA some years ago, but she cut quite
a adventure in horticulture and theater during her life. Born in the Bronx, she
graduated from Bennington College where she studied under Martha Graham and
others. She used her talents in theater, dance , and other theatrical
endeavors. She was an ardent member of the Bonsai Association and loved the
arboretum. When the plastic pink flamingo was chosen as the mascot for the
newly formed Center for URBAN horticulture, she dressed up in a flamigo costome,
stood on a chair and had her picture taken for my birthday present ( the picture
will go to archives!!). She also did radio and TV commericals and at one time
was quite a spokeswoman for Ford. One morning I had just gotten out of the
shower and all at once I heard Adele talking to me from the other side of the
room. She was on TV for a Ford advertisement and her voice scared the ___ out
of me! She also drove Lake Washington Boulevard and when she saw a street light
out, she stopped the car, got out, stopped traffic and got the number of the
light pole, then phoned it in for repair! Adele died on January 2nd. If you
want to know more, check last Sunday's obituaries. She was just another of the
cast of many who made life interesting in the Arboretum. Cheers. John A. Wott
Professor Emeritus Director (retired) Washington Park Arboretum)
UW Botanic Gardens
College of Forest Resources University of Washington Box 354115
Seattle, WA 98195-4115

Telephone: 206 543-8602
Cell: 206 351 8226
Email: [email protected]

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of a very classy lady. I was nanny to Sam & Ben for 3 years and also house sat for Adele when she travelled. I loved taking care of "Pip" for her, both in her home and in her condo. My mother also house sat for her. I lost my mother on August 21st this summer. My thoughts are with you all at this time.

My heart goes out to the family of Adele. She was a very kind and fun person. I enjoyed talking with her about the arts and shared with my daughter, a dancer and actor, the stories Adele shared with me. Thinking of you all and please know that I (Bette Burnett's daughter) will always have a special place in my heart for Adele.