(From left) Catherine Cahill, president & CEO of the Mann Center, Leslie Purple, vice president of The Plant Connection and landscape architect for the garden, and Nancy Newman, of Chestnut Hill, Executive vice president of the Mann, join Jack and Joe Waz to dedicate the Ann Stookey Celebration Fountain near the entrance of the Mann.[/caption]

On October 4, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts dedicated a new fountain and garden near the main entrance to former board member, dedicated volunteer and lover of the arts Ann Stookey. The Mann, along with the Waz Family and Ann’s many friends, is proud to dedicate the Ann Stookey Celebration Fountain as a lasting tribute to a talented, dynamic woman.

Stookey was a resident of Chestnut Hill.

“It is an honor to create a beautiful, calm space in memory of Ann,” said Nancy Newman, executive vice president of the Mann Center. “The dedication combines her love of gardening and floral design with her dedication to music and the arts. The garden is a permanent celebration of Ann’s very vibrant life taking root in the middle of Fairmount Park. It’s a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman.”

A died suddenly last October while traveling in Paris with her husband and friends. She is deeply missed by her family and friends, who have come together to make this dedication possible. An accomplished amateur choral singer and floral designer, Ann put her passions into action in her community, her garden and the choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Her lush “green garden” at her family home in Chestnut Hill was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and has been recorded in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens. Ann viewed her garden as a large canvas where she created a tranquil environment by layering beautiful foliage in innovative ways.

A fountain from her garden was donated to the Mann by Ann and her husband, Joe Waz, a retired Comcast executive, prior to her death. Thanks to a generous donation of funds from the community, the Mann will recreate her garden, with seating, incorporating the fountain as the centerpiece. The space will be a sophisticated and serene meeting place for the Mann’s many thousands of music lovers to visit and enjoy.