Meet Tom Bolt – VCE’s Newest Emeritus Master Gardener

Tom was finishing up his second term as Junior Warden at his church and was in his third year serving as a Docent at the Chrysler Museum and he was looking for a new activity. He was a newly-blossomed Master Gardener when the NMGA sent out a request for someone to take over the newsletter. This was just the challenge he needed so he responded and put together a team, publishing their first issue as the Nov-Dec 1999 Germinator. Thus began Tom’s 21-year journey with Extension Master Gardeners.

Tom has participated in many of the NEMG projects, having accumulated an astonishing 11,332 hours, and retired from the Norfolk MG unit on March 1, 2020. Highlighting his leadership in our organization is the list of his most important roles: NMGA Steering Committee Chairman (Jan 2010 – Dec 2011; VMGA President (Jun 2013 - Jun 2015), and Norfolk MG Coordinator (Mar 2015 – Sep 2019).   

Among Tom’s other accomplishments, he has been a regular and frequent participant on the Speakers Bureau circuit, delivering educational presentations on a variety of horticultural topics. He also served as Publicity/Communications co-chair and as webmaster of www.nmgv.org from its inception until 2019. He recognized early on the value of the Volunteer Management System (VMS) for data collection and communications sharing, and volunteered Norfolk as one of the earliest VCE-MG units to transition to this new program in 2013.

Tom has a special interest in water conservation since he lives on the water. He was instrumental in launching Norfolk’s Advanced MG Water Steward program, taking part in the very first Water Steward training class at MG College in 2007 and again in 2011. As WS Program chairman, he mentored the earliest Norfolk MG Water Steward interns through their projects: three rain gardens installed at the Virginia Zoo, and two rain gardens at sites along Colley Avenue (Fellini’s/Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden and another at 47th Street). In a departure from area flooding, Tom also led the establishment of the Native Dune Demonstration Garden in East Beach. With each project, Tom guided the individual program leaders in networking with City authorities to get the needed permits, tools, plants, and community volunteers.

During Tom’s tenure he has worked closely with a number of Extension Agents. When he started, the Agent was Dawn Alleman, but after she left, he participated on the Interview and Hiring Teams for Lynnette Swanson, Eric Stormer, Andrea Tomlin and Chris Epes.

Working beyond our own unit, Tom helped advance the continuing education of Master Gardeners statewide as a member of the MG College Advisory Team for many years, helping to ensure a fulfilling program of speakers and events, food and administrative services for attendees at Virginia Tech every June through 2018. He is a Lifetime member of the VMGA, and was our unit VMGA rep for the years 2012 – 2016. Even in “retirement,” Tom continues his service and was publicly recognized at the June 2020 VGMA meeting as their Communications lynchpin.

Tom’s special interest is gardening, but he is also known as “Mr. Fix-it.” One of his extracurricular activities has been to play Santa Claus at Battered Women’s shelters, several schools and he has played Saint Nicholas at church.

Tom’s family circle consists of his wife, Suzanne, one son, two daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter.

We thank Tom for his unselfish and superb service to the VCE-MG program, especially to the Norfolk MG unit, and wish him and his family the very best of everything in his retirement.