Meet Cynthia Kurlas

Cynthia graduated from the University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio. Most of her adult life was spent in the Cincinnati area, Jacksonville, Florida, and Paducah, Kentucky.

Cynthia is a retired Chemical Engineer who worked as Senior Process Engineer in Manufacturing and Research Design and Development in various industries (Vistacon Contact Lenses, Hilton Davis Copy Dyes and Pigments, Drackett household chemicals, Sabic plastics, and Uranium hexafluoride conversion).

She enjoys growing flowers and vegetables and likes designing landscaping around her home, discovering what works and what doesn’t. She enjoys sharing her love for gardening with others and participating in fixer-upper landscaping.

The classes reminded her of being in college where she enjoyed applying the information rather than simply appreciating the science behind it. She enjoyed working with her classmates, meeting other master gardeners and experts in the field, and learning about the Master Gardener projects.

To attain her required fifty hours she worked at Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dune Garden, ECO garden, the spring plant sale, Propagation Palooza, and the Poplar Hall Park ERT event. Going forward she will continue volunteering at Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the ECO garden and other events that look interesting to her.

Cynthia enjoys volunteering at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and helping with her church’s vegetable garden. She is active with a woman’s social group that has card games, seasonal parties, and events, such as going to the planetarium, a lavender field, and the Dismal Swamp. She would like to get back to day hiking.

Cynthia is a first-time cat mama with two rescues, Yahtzee (brown/gray male tabby) and Feta (female gray/diluted-tortie shorthair).

When you see Cynthia, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.