| OHCC LIVING | JANUARY 2026 | 9
The Landscape Committee recently had the pleasure of visiting a
resident named Mona Miller who, we soon discovered, had a story to tell
about the eight-foot-tall tree in her backyard.
About 14 years ago, Mona and her husband, George Falkowitz,
embarked on a trip to Trinidad. While there, George happened upon
an unusual tree called a Toona sinensis, which had many seed capsules.
George casually slipped a seed capsule into his pocket, later transferring
it to a napkin in his suitcase. Surprisingly, after sitting in a napkin in the
heat and the cold, and the long trip in a suitcase; the seed capsule finally
arrived home safely with George and Mona. George put the seed in a
glass of water, which is the proper way to "wake up" a seed.
What a thrill it was, a month later to find that the seed had produced
a minuscule plant. Now the years have gone on, and the little plant has
grown; George died eight years ago, but his plant, now a healthy eight-
foot-tall tree, lives on, carrying on George's legacy. At right is Mona with
George's very special memorial tree.
By Peggy Goodman and Alma Smith
Landscape Committee
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