What's in a name? Ask those who are mad about the Monk Gardens name change
People update their Facebook profile pictures all the time, and rarely does it spark controversy.
But that wasn’t the case with Monk Botanical Gardens — probably because that name has been replaced.
The organization changed its name to Wausau Botanic Gardens, with an updated logo that now serves as the organization’s Facebook profile.
Since then, it’s been a rough weekend for the gardens, which otherwise hasn’t had much in the way of public controversy.
People aren’t happy about the erasure of Robert Monk, whose donation founded the gardens. At least on the garden’s Facebook page, there doesn’t seem to be any early announcement of the name change. People found out by seeing a photo.
To get a sense of it: the post received 107 likes, 73 sad reactions, 71 angry reactions, 23 loves and 3 cares. (Yes, I’m aware of how silly it looks typing these out.) Ignoring the cares because I think they could go either way (and are minimal anyway) it looks like there is a split in how people feel, but more people seemed sad or angry by the move.
Apparently, some of the people who are angry are REALLY angry, according to a follow-up post:
We are grateful for the overwhelming passion that the community has displayed over the proposed name change. However, we would like to make a plea to everyone to provide their feedback through appropriate channels and not approach our volunteers, staff, or visitors in an aggressive manner.
We recently had an incident where a volunteer was “accosted” at the Gardens, which is unacceptable. We would like to remind everyone that Robert W. Monk would not approve of such behavior. We all want to see Mr. Monk’s vision realized, and we can achieve this by working together respectfully.
Jan Monk wrote under that post that they don’t condone anyone treating staff that way, but made clear the Monk family hopes the name change is reconsidered. Another commenter said the gardens wouldn’t exist without Monk’s contribution so it wasn’t right to remove his name. Yet another commenter said they miss it being more rustic — now it’s becoming overdeveloped and too often closed for special events.
The gardens were started after a donation from Robert W. Monk of 22 acres which expanded to the now 30-acre gardens (additional land was purchased in 2017-2018 stemming from a donation from Ruth Schuette). It officially became a non-profit in 2003.
There is now a petition to restore Monk’s name to the gardens. The petition on Change.org as of Monday morning has just under 2,000 of the 2,500 goal. UPDATE: The petition as of Wednesday morning had nearly 5,000 signatures and is growing.
The Wausonian reached out to the gardens’ director Darcie Howard to learn more about what went into the decision and how the pushback has impacted the organization (and whether there is any thought to reconsidering the name change in light of the pushback). Howard provided a statement which I’ve included below:
In the Original grant of land in 2004 from Robert W. Monk III, the restriction that was placed upon the land was not the name of the gardens but that the land be used to develop and operate a botanical garden. It is a use restriction, not a name restriction. The deed reflects Robert W. Monk III’s vision that the land be used in perpetuity as a botanical garden.
Since 2004, the people of Wausau and the surrounding communities have embraced, nurtured, maintained and grown Robert W. Monk III’s vision for a Botanical Garden. Substantial financial support from community members, businesses and foundations has allowed for the purchase of additional land needed to install necessary permanent facilities, develop educational programming, and hire full-time staff to maintain the Botanical Garden.
Significant efforts have been undertaken to raise the financial support necessary to maintain and grow the Botanical Gardens, which lacks a sustaining endowment. In addition, tens of thousands of volunteer hours by hundreds of community members have ensured that the land continues to support Robert W. Monk III’s dream of a perpetual Botanical Garden.
It is important and honorable to recognize that the Botanical Garden as it exists today is not only the result of Robert W Monk III’s original, generous gift but also of the past, current, and future immeasurable generosity and support of the entire community. The Board believes that this is best accomplished by creating a place that is easily recognized and understood to be the product of and for the purpose of the collective community. For too long, the Botanical Gardens have been the best-kept secret in Wausau. While change is difficult, it is sometimes necessary for the full vision to be realized: a perpetual Botanical Garden enjoyed and supported by all.
This is, most importantly, a much-needed branding and logo update to clarify what and where the gardens are. This rebranding is an ongoing process, and we ask everyone for their patience.
According to the petition, the removal of Robert Monk from the gardens has been an ongoing effort:
Robert Monk's philanthropic spirit brought this garden into existence. It is not just a place of beauty but also a symbol of community and generosity that Mr. Monk embodied. His contribution to our city goes beyond just this garden; it is an integral part of our local history and identity.
However, in recent times, his name has been removed from these gardens - an act that feels disrespectful to his memory and legacy. We believe that restoring the original name would be a fitting tribute to Robert Monk's contribution to our community.
The Wausonian reached out to Kolton Heldt, who started the petition, and to a commenter with the last name Monk who appeared to be one of Monk’s relatives. We will update this post if anything further is received.
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