Channel Islands Chapter
Deceased Chapter Leaders
Cynthia Leake
Cynthia [Libby] Leake – born 15 June 1916, died 1 November 2005, 89 years old
Cynthia was one of the founding members of Channel Islands Chapter. She was born in Lynn, Kansas, but was a long-time Ventura County resident, having attended Mupu [Elementary] School north of Santa Paula. She moved to Camarillo in 1978 with her husband, Charles Leake.
Cynthia served on the chapter board from the beginning through 1994, serving as Vice President (1975-1984?), Treasurer (1986), Membership Chair (1986-1987), and Legislation Chair (1991-1994). She was very active in conservation, focusing on a number of issues, including the proposed Weldon Canyon landfill near Ojai, Ormond Beach, Camarillo Regional Park, and many more issues. She also served on Environmental Coalition of Ventura County for many years.
Sue Mills
Sue A. Mills, born 23 October 1939, died 15 September 2009, 69 years old
Sue was on the Channel Islands Chapter board of directors for many years, serving primarily as Education Committee Chair until 2003, and having served in several board positions. She lived in Oak View with her husband Jim, and is survived by her husband and two sons, Kurt and Scot.
Sue served on the chapter board from 1988, serving as Membership Chair (1988-1991?), Secretary (1994-1995), Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Liason (1995), Education Chair (1994-1995, 2001, and 2003), and on the Horticulture Committee in charge of school gardens (2003). She was very active in education, focusing on a the use of native plants in the garden and the interactions between native plants and insects (another of her passions). She also worked for the University of California Agriculture Extension, out of Ventura.
Joy Ballinger, born 1921, died 4 January 2013, 91 years old
Joy Ballinger served on the chapter board of directors for over a decade, serving as Secretary (1985-1992), Education Chair (1987), Fundraising (1989), Member-At-Large (1994-1999), Program Facilitator for Santa Barbara (1999-2000), and helped get the chapter active in Santa Barbara County, where about half the chapter members live. Joy became a member of CNPS around 1983 after attending a chapter hike to the top of Dry Lakes Ridge, lead by David Magney.
CHANNEL ISLANDS CHAPTER, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY, PO Box 6, Ojai, CA 93024-0006
Special thanks to Carlin Moyer for the beautiful illustrations on our site.
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