Page 162 - WDT Magazine Egypt

Visiting Kauai changed everything for the two men, little Eden. The two men loved plants and were con-
and Robert donated his Monticello mansion and gar- scious that they were not just collecting, but preserving
dens to the University of Illinois and moved to Hawaii species that may fade into time’s shadows.
in 1938. Soon they were filling their grounds with new plants,
As soon as the pair arrived they began to put their just as Queen Emma and Alexander McBryde had
imprint on the Lawa‘i Valley. John designed their home, done, and adding classic statuary, as Robert had done
and the two began envisioning a sprawling garden at his former Illinois estate.
along the banks of the stream. They traveled to Asia, And they did something else, which their predeces-
the Pacific, and the Caribbean in search of artistic and sors had not done – they applied their artistic and
botanical treasures, which they placed throughout their design esthetic to the grounds, creating not only a

162 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018