A new collection of materials has been added to Bok Tower Gardens’ Digital Collections website!
David K. Stabler (1901-1987) graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Horticulture in 1924. He served as Landscape Superintendent for the Mountain Lake Corporation from 1925-1942, doing work for the community of Mountain Lake as well as the Mountain Lake Sanctuary (now Bok Tower Gardens), including planting the grove of Live Oak Trees near the Singing Tower.
Stabler also served as the Superintendent of Park Development for the City of Tampa, doing work for several Tampa area parks including Lowry Park, and operated his own plant nursery in Winter Haven. Stabler was a member and first President of the Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association (FNGLA), as well as a member of the American Association of Nurserymen and the Winter Haven Kiwanis Club. He and wife, Catherine, had two children, Helen and David.
In 1988, FNGLA presented an ornamental drinking fountain to the Gardens in honor of Mr. Stabler and all of his contributions to the Florida nursery field. The drinking fountain is located near the Olmsted House.
The collection was donated to Bok Tower Gardens by Helen Stabler Dunaway and David K. Stabler, Jr. and includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and a scrapbook.