Jo Granzow

Jo Granzow first served the community as a teacher in Kettering and as a school board member and president in Oakwood. But her true love and lifelong vocation has been in preservation, conservation of our natural resources, and protecting the beautiful gardens, parks and rivers of the Miami Valley.“Jo Granzow is an example of the impact that one woman can have on a community,” her nominator wrote. “She is an innovator and initiator. She is enthusiastic, optimistic, positive, hardworking and firmly believes that conservation and preservation go hand in hand. A former educator, she has devoted most of her adult life as a professional volunteer to environmental causes and to the preservation and restoration of the Dayton Arcade. At age 94 Jo still communicates her core beliefs and continues to inspire and motivate people to believe in her cause and to become involved.”She’s served with the Garden Club of America as Chair of the Conservation Committee that oversees Ohio, Indiana and Michigan and as president of the Garde Club of Dayton, helping to develop the special garden and statue to honor Marie Aull at Carillon Park.She co-founded “Grassroots,” an organization that became the leading voice in opposition to the development of the Paul Knoop Prairie, advocating for the protection of nearby streams, the Stillwater River and beyond.She also worked to preserve local history as vice-president of the Friends of the Dayton Arcade and helped develop the “Jewels of the Gem City” event, a partnership betweenThe Dayton Woman’s Club, the Dayton Arcade and YWCA Dayton to fundraise for historic building preservation.Jo has additionally served on the Cox Arboretum Board, and the Nature Conservancy Board, Ohio Chapter.Among Jo’s many awards are the Garden Club of America’s 50 years of service award in 2019; The GCA Medal of Merit in 2014, GCA Award of Excellence in 2003 and the GCA Preservation Award in 2020. The Dayton Foundation’s Partners for the Environment presented Jo with a Lifetime Award in 2019 to celebrate her work to preserve and restore the environment.