Mary Daggett Lake

Mary Daggett Lake (1880–1955) was an American historian, botanist, and educator instrumental in documenting early North Texas settlers and promoting the appreciation and use of native Texas plants. A Fort Worth, Texas civic leader, she led the garden club movement in Texas, wrote numerous columns for state and local newspapers, and was instrumental in the creation of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the oldest botanical garden in Texas.

Early life and education Mary Sabina Daggett was born November 11, 1880, in Fort Worth, Texas to Ephraim Merrill "Bud" and Laura Alice Palmer Daggett. Mary's father, a cowboy and trail driver-turned-cattleman, came from a family of local pioneers: his uncle and namesake, Ephraim Merrill Daggett (1810-1883) is known as the "Father of Fort Worth." She attended Fort Worth public schools and studied botany and music at Cottey College, a women's liberal arts college in Missouri.

Career She returned to Fort Worth and married William Fletcher Lake, a local cattleman, in March 1899;

Botanist and educator Mary Daggett Lake studied botany at Cottey College and worked for twelve years in the private herbarium of Dr. Albert Ruth, She was a charter member of the Fort Worth Garden Club, an officer in the National Council of State Garden Club Federations, and elected president of the Texas Federation of Garden Clubs in 1938. She was a 28-year member of the Fort Worth Park Board and editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's gardening page from 1937 to 1955.

Other publications In 1926, Mary Daggett Lake wrote The Legend of the Bluebonnet, a short book on the folklore of the state flower of Texas. She also wrote Have You Ever Been to Texas in the Spring?, the official song of the Texas Federation of Garden Clubs, and Pioneer Mother, the official song of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

Death Mary Daggett Lake had a stroke at the Fort Worth Woman's Club on January 7, 1955, and died on March 1, 1955. She is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth.