Dawn McKenzie – Plot 6
Dawn is a resident of University Commons and a newcomer to the world of gardening. Growing up in
Southern Illinois, there was always a family garden but Dawn’s first garden was the summer of 2020 at
the Maxwell Garden. Dawn is no stranger to growing things, she has a condo filled with house plants,
and she used to spend her summers home from university working at the Missouri Botanical Garden in
St. Louis. Outside of her involvement in the garden, Dawn is a rugby referee, has a career in data
advertising and likes to travel. Dawn has been involved in a handful of nonprofits helping to raise funds,
organize social events and generate publicity. She is looking forward to expanding her gardening
experience and helping drive interest in the Maxwell Street Garden as a member of the board.
Mari Dumbaugh – Plot 1
Mari moved to Pilsen in 2018 and became a gardener at Maxwell Street Community Garden in 2020.
Mari’s love for healthy food grew after working on an organic farm for a year outside of San Francisco
where she developed a deep appreciation for producing local food in ethical, accessible ways. Mari is
committed to ensuring the garden is welcoming to everyone, and a community green space that plays a
central role in working towards social justice and equity. Outside of the garden, Mari is a Global Health
research and training consultant and an adjunct professor at UIC where she teaches about the role anti-
racist structures and actions can play in achieving health and economic equity.
Scott Crowe – Plot 12
Scott grew up gardening and has continued this passion as an adult, both at home and in the Maxwell
Street Community Garden. He’s one of the founding gardeners at Maxwell Street Community Garden
and helped design and build the garden structures and planting beds in both garden locations, as part of
the core transition team. His wife, Lisa Kulisek, and he have lived in the area for over 20 years and are
active in many organizations in the community. They are interested in outreach between the Garden
and the community as a whole, including Chicago World Language Academy, Smyth Elementary, and
Whitney Young HS. When not digging in the garden, Scott is an architect.
Yvonne Livingston – Plot 58
Yvonne Livingston is our resident gardener from Roosevelt Square and became a Board member this
year. She has been gardening for three years and loves growing her own food. She engages with the
community to strengthen ties and build interest in others gardening with her. She understands the
benefits of connecting with nature while growing food.
Barbara Risman – Plot 11
Barbara is an original gardener and served on the board from the beginning of the garden until 2019,
when the garden moved into its current space. She began to travel during the summer and left the
board but is glad to have the time now to serve again. Barbara is particularly interested in ensuring that
the MSCG is a green space that is welcoming to gardeners and the surrounding community. When she is
not in the garden, Barbara is a sociology professor at UIC and lives in University Commons. Barbara also
sits on a national board for an organization, Scholars Strategy Network, that advocates basing decisions,
in policy and non-profits, on empirical evidence. Barbara will try to bring these approaches to the MSCG
board discussions and processes.
Tess Kearns, Treasurer – Plot 19
Tess began gardening in her youth with her mom in their suburban backyard. City living did not make
gardening seem possible until she discovered The Maxwell Street Community Garden in 2017. Sharing
her love of gardening with her kids was a really exciting prospect. After a summer of radishes, green
beans, salsa, and pickles, everyone was hooked. With a passion for yoga too, she hopes to combine her
love of growing food with yoga in the garden and will be partnering SOS to share their program with our
members. She joined the board in 2020 and currently serves as treasurer for the Garden and the Special
Projects (murals/honey) accounts. Throughout the summer, you will find her working around the
garden, riding her bike, and helping chair several Garden committees.
Marsha Wyatt, President – Plot 31
Marsha was planting carrots, beets, parsley and lettuce seeds at an early age with her parents in the
family garden, and she “helped” her maternal grandfather with his two much larger gardens. She
discovered the Maxwell Street Community Garden in summer of 2014 after moving to University
Commons and became co-president in 2016. She was on the core transition planning team for the
development of the new garden in 2018/2019 and also designed the perennial and shrub gardens and
the Welcome Garden by the main entrance gate, including moving and planting hundreds of perennials
and thousands of seeds. Marsha is active in other community organizations, collaborating for funding
and educational opportunities for neighborhood residents and youth.
(Retired) Founding Member, Janet Cornelius
Janet discovered the Maxwell Street Community Garden being built during the summer in 2013 and attended the Openlands Garden Keepers program at the Garfield Park Conservatory to help develop the new garden. She served as the garden’s co-chair through 2016. During those years she enjoyed experimenting with new vegetables in her plot every year, planting flowers in the Welcome Garden, serving on the Compost Committee, and working with schoolchildren from neighborhood schools as a Master Gardener. She holds a certificate in Horticulture and Landscape Design from the College of DuPage and used her experience to develop the plot plan for the garden’s new site in 2019. During her tenure, she secured many grants for the garden that supported our educational needs and funded accessibility planning. Her last project was developing the “Seasons of the Garden” mural consisting of crocheted flowers from strips of colored plastic bags on the fence allong Racine Avenue on the west side of the Garden.
In Memorium: Eric McKamey, former Co-President
Eric became involved with the Maxwell Street Garden in 2014 when he stopped by to visit after swimming at Fosco Park. He became Co-President in fall of 2019. Prior to his retirement, he taught Special Needs Elementary Students for Chicago Public Schools for 31 years. During his time as an educator, he and his students maintained a school vegetable and perennial gardens where he taught them the benefits of growing fresh vegetables and the joy of perennial flowers and bulbs coming back every year to bloom and bring joy. Eric completed the Master Gardener program through the University of Illinois Extension Program several years ago. He loved ornamental grasses and was a master at growing all types of peppers from seed. He and his faithful companion (pet),Girl Friday, would often be seen at the garden mid-afternoon with “Friday” running laps around the perimeter of the plots while Eric gardened and visited with the neighbors. Gardening gave Eric great peace of mind, especially as he battled cancer these last two years. Eric passed peacefully with two dear friends by his side March 11, 2022 at the age of 76.