Nashville Gardening History: Mrs. Hazel Suggs Burley

On October 3, 2025, we will be celebrating a truly remarkable milestone-the 105th birthday of Hazel Suggs Burley, a pivotal figure in the Nashville community and a charter member of the Ardent Gardeners Club. As a fellow gardening enthusiast, I have had the privilege and honor to spend time with Mrs. Burley this summer. Her birthday will be a momentous occasion that we are all eagerly looking forward to, as we celebrate the life and legacy of this extraordinary woman. 

 

I spent the 4th of July learning Nashville gardening history from Mrs. Burley who created the history.

It was evident from the meticulous floral arrangement demonstrations in the pictures that Mrs. Burley and her club members had managed to make gardening the center of their volunteer service in the community. These trailblazing women, much like squares for quilts, stitched gardening and serving others together. Their collective efforts are representative of giving back, much like the quilts in many African American homes, which are sewn by hand for warmth but are also beautiful works of art that tell the history of families, neighbors, communities, and our nation.

  

Mrs. Burley sharing photos and a program about floral arrangements from Idaho University, 1969.

 When I shared my photos of the Hostas being replanted in other areas of the garden and drawings of the placements of the plants that were to be donated and planted in the Doris Campbell Busby Memorial Garden, Mrs. Burley's eyes lit up with joy. Her enthusiasm for the project brought a sense of hope and optimism to those of us who were volunteering in the garden.

 

 S. L. Lampkin IV, MD Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine volunteered with MGs.

In May, the Master Gardeners met with the hospital staff to discuss potential events for a soft reopening of the garden. As I pulled weeds from a flowerbed, I remarked, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bring Mrs. Burley here to see the progress we’ve made?” Then I thought of an even better idea: “What if we brought her here on her 105th birthday?” We were eager for Mrs. Burley, as a charter member of the Ardent Gardeners, to see that her legacy in serving others through gardening, which included the establishment of the Doris Campbell Busby Memorial Garden, would be continued by Master Gardeners and devoted volunteers.

Mrs. Burley was the eldest of four children. She was born in the ‘twenties to Joseph Edward Suggs and Mable Hemphill. Her father, a veteran of World War I and a survivor of the Normandy Invasion, was a football coach at Tennessee State University. Her mother was also a graduate of TSU. They often traveled to Robertson County to teach the community how to can and preserve farm produce. 

Mrs. Hazel Burley's father, Coach Joseph Edward Suggs with 1925 Tennessee Gridiron State Champions.

  

Mrs.Hazel Burley's mother announcing her run for  21st District Runoff in 11/23/1962 The Tennessean. 

The two founded a mom-and-pop grocery store, which they used to encourage people to participate in the voting process. Mrs. Burley's mother, Mable Hemphill Suggs, was deeply involved in the community. She even ran for an elected office during a time when few African Americans held local or state offices in Tennessee. Mrs. Burley's mother's family included the relatives who founded Hemphill Press in 1886 in Nashville, TN. The printing company was in the family for 112 years. 

Mrs.  Hazel Suggs Burley  was on the honor roll at TSU in 1940.

A history of entrepreneurial lineage that stressed education, Mrs. Burley was a graduate of the last class to attend school at the old Pearl High School building on 16th Street in Nashville. She attended TSU like her mother and father before her and graduated cum laude with a major in English. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Mu honor society and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. 

 Howard Burley's College Graduation Program for Howard University in 1943.

While at TSU, she met Howard L. Burley, Sr. He had received a scholarship to study at Howard University School of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C., which he accepted. After a year’s separation, Hazel and Howard married and moved to the nation’s capital, where she worked at the Bureau of Engraving while her husband attended school and worked as a guard in a medical museum.  

 The Tennessean's featured interview with Dr. Burley, Sr., a Community Icon 5-20-2002.

 After working at a few pharmacies in D.C., the couple moved back to Nashville, where Dr. Burley, Sr. opened Consumer’s Drug Store on Main Street in East Nashville. No strangers to families being proprietors, the Burleys worked and served the community for 60 years. Many East Nashvillians have fond memories of getting prescriptions filled by Dr. Burley and getting a scoop of ice cream while waiting. The Burleys' unwavering commitment to serving the community for six decades is a testament to their dedication and a source of inspiration for us all. The Burleys were married for 71 years until he passed in 2012 at the age of ninety-five. 

 

Family photos and artwork by her daughter  Viola Burley Leak.

The Burleys had exceptional children: Viola Burley Leak, an educator and renowned visual artist, and Howard L. Burley Jr., M.D. Dr. Burley and his wife, Dr. Rhonda Cunningham-Burley, made them the proud grandparents of Raina and Rachel Burley. 

Hazel Burley attending The Annual Torch Awards Banquet, a fundraiser for TSU.  

Throughout her life, Mrs. Burley has shown a deep commitment to her home, family, and community. Her active participation in clubs for mothers and child development, and her unwavering devotion to her church, Gordon Memorial, serve as a shining example of selflessness. However, it is her involvement in the Ardent Gardener’s Club, a club she helped to charter and was dedicated to promoting gardening and community service, which has been one of the shining highlights of her volunteer career, inspiring us all by her dedication to service. 

 Mrs.Burley's home was always a gathering place for the community.Notice of Garden Club Meeting, 1989 Tennessean.

Her selflessness to serving her community are a testament to her character and a source of inspiration for us all. Mrs. Burley attributes her long life to the unwavering support from her family, friends, church, and the community. She acknowledges that good genes play a part, given that her mother lived to be 106 years old and her father to ninety-five. 

The Ardent Gardeners’ fortieth-anniversary luncheon at Cheekwood on April 7, 1991 (front row left to right): Lillian Thomas, Mattie Johnson, Delores Crump, Ruth Grant, Isabel Watkins, Gretchen Payne, Carrie Denney, Alberta Bontemps, Elise Frazier, Blanche Ennix, Willie Mae Martin, Mattie Flowers (back row left to right): Zenobia Beck, Eugenia McGinnis, Rachel Lindsay, Kathleen Lawrence, Tyree Miller, Corinne Schuster, Alice Archer, Hazel Burley, Dora McClellan, Helena Perry, Jayme Williams, Patsy Petway. Ardent Gardeners Association Records, 1951-1998, Box 3, Folder 7.

 Mrs.W.H. Grant, Mrs. Neal Alphin,Mrs. Hazel Burley were planting fields of Tulips at a vocational home  for girls in the early 1950's. Cheekwood be its annual 'Cheekwood in Bloom' in 2013. 

However, she emphasizes that the strong bonds she has formed with her community have been a significant factor in her longevity and happiness. This underscores the importance of community in our lives and its profound impact on our well-being, making us all feel connected and valued. 

For her Centenarian birthday, the Nashville community celebrated with a socially distanced parade! Cars rolled by with well-wishers who were delighted to know she was healthy and safe during the pandemic. At that time, her daughter Viola shared, "She has good health practices and subscribes to and reads many journals. She believes in the importance of all lives mattering, and she achieves this through her persistence, education, family unity, financial planning, and networking. Her commitment to her health and well-being is truly inspiring.”

 Knowing she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta, this red scarf was perfect for the occasion. 

Before my visit ended, I shared gifts from my garden club meeting, which was held in March, where friends and Master Gardeners were in attendance. I knew from my grandmother's garden club meetings that the hostess gave small gifts to thank guests. I remembered my upbringing and brought along a few items that I thought she would like. The big smile from early that day doubled in size as she opened gift bags. I was a complete waterfall of tears at that moment, seeing her joy.

We reached for each other to give hugs. I held her tightly, knowing that she needed her rest. As I gathered my notepad and a recorder, Morganne Norrwood, a freelance photographer who accompanied me, was wiping tears from her eyes as I fumbled looking for a tissue for both of us. "You should have prepared," she said with a small laugh, as we walked outside.

View of Tennessee State University from Mrs. Burley's window.

Once outside, we hugged each other for a few seconds. We both knew we had captured history. Glorious history. No words were needed as we both savored the silence between us.

Photos credits: 

Mrs. Hazel Burley and Genma Holmes :Morganne Norwood for Bliss Media Group. 

Genma Holmes

The Burley Family

Tennessean Archives 

Tennessee State Library and Archives 

An Honorary Doctorate Is Honorary Not Actual and Other Things We Should Know

There has been much discussion the last few weeks in regards to how to use professional titles when teaching in academia by none college teaching folks. It started with an online debate between several friends by the qualifications of a professor. Having a mother who has taught at every educational level, I consulted the Knowledgeable One for input. That consultation led to several pages of "documentation" from some of the most brilliant minds on colleges and universities campus around the country and on Mars. Everyone learned quickly that being a professor comes after years of pursuing your doctorate and not to be taken lightly.

Since that initial online discussion, I have been thoroughly educated on what is a professor, tenure, tenure track, teaching, instructor, adjunct, associate, and a host of other words that are used to describe careers, jobs responsibilities, educational level, and pay scale within an institution of high learning.

My education was so interesting, I thought I would share my "research" with you. No, I did not get a grant for my research but my "findings" are being published... on my blog!

Here are a few points of interest. Some I knew and some I did not:

1. The title professor is not to be used causally around people who actually went to college to become a college professor. It is equivalent to calling yourself a sorority sister or fraternity brother when you never pledged a sorority or fraternity. Taboo for sure!

2. An Adjunct Lecture is a part-time non salaried, non tenure track, faculty member who is paid for each class they teach. Usually individuals employed as adjunct lecture are employed at another job and do not have a PhD.

3. A Lecture is full-time or part-time position at a university that does not involve tenure or formal research obligations (although sometimes they choose to perform research), but can often involve administrative service roles. This position does not necessarily require a doctoral degree and usually involves a focus on undergraduate and/or introductory courses. In some colleges, the term Senior Lecturer is awarded to highly qualified or accomplished lecturers. A convention some schools have begun to use is the title "teaching professor," with or without ranks, to clarify that these are in fact true faculty members who simply do not have research obligations.

4. An Assistant Professor is an introductory level professor. A position generally taken after receiving a PhD and completing a post-doctoral fellowship.

5. An Associate Professor is a mid-level, usually tenured, professor with a PhD.

6. A Professor is a senior, tenured professor. To receive tenure is a beast of a process.

Colleges and universities vary on placing emphasis on research or teaching professor but everyone consulted agreed that Professor is used for individuals with terminal degrees. Students often use professor as a term of respect when addressing their teachers.

Too often, what takes years to earn maybe trivialized by others who may not realize the use of the terminology or education that accompanies a title. I see this often when individuals are given an Honorary Doctorate and that honorary title becomes a permanent part of individual names when addressing them in public and in written communications. Honorary Doctorates are just what they are, honorary not actual.

This post is only to inform. Having a quite a number of family and friends who have earned their doctorate and are working at institutions as professors, I feel it is import for us to be knowledgeable about the work it takes to become a college professor. Let us not misuse or abuse titles and learn to use them in proper contexts.

“A rising tide lifts all boats”

Thanks to all unpaid participants. Extra research was found here:

The Pros and Cons of Charter Schools

Most large family gatherings have the normal family disagreements. But if you ever want to ruin a “good argument” during the holidays, just mention charter schools around the educators in my family. At the dinner table sit female educators who are teachers, principals, and college professors who will send the turkey and dressing running for cover at the very mention of charter schools. The topic of charter schools is hotly disputed between my mother and my aunts who believe “the devil is in the details”. Asking these fervently experienced Titans of education to explain why they love or loath the idea of charter schools minus the passion has left me, occasionally, looking for the turkey and dressing’s hiding place.

As Governor Haslam has lifted the ban on the number of charter schools statewide, we will see more charter schools forming. The reasons for allowing more charter schools are as numerous as the stars above but it is important to review some of the pros and cons of charter schools. *

Pro: Charter schools provide families with public school choice options. Parents will have the ability to choose the school best suited for their child.
Con: Charter schools, due to their small size and limited numbers, will provide only some families with public school choice options, thereby raising issues of fairness and equity.

Pro: Charter schools can act as laboratories of reform, identifying successful practices that could be replicated by traditional district public schools. Also, by waiving regulations in a limited number of schools, the most prohibitive policies can be identified and eliminated for all schools.
Con: Successful reform models such as New American Schools and Core Knowledge have already been identified. Why not attempt these reforms in existing schools? If rules and regulations are so burdensome, they should be waived for all public schools.

Pro: Through school choice, competition within the public school system is created, pressuring school districts to reassess their educational practices.
Con: Charter schools have an unfair advantage when competing against district public schools since they tend to be smaller and free from regulations. Charter schools have access to federal funds and other revenue sources.

Pro: Charters will lead to overall systemic reform through the pressure and competition of the choice mechanism.
Con: Charters are too limited in scope to adequately pressure the entire public school system.

Pro: Charter schools, unlike traditional public schools are held accountable. If charters do not perform, they are not renewed.
Con: Charters are not accountable as they are freed from rules and regulations intended to ensure quality in public education.

The pros and cons listed above should be studied and weighed very seriously. What works in one community may not work in another. What I have founded more fascinating than debating the pros and cons of charter schools is what is often overlooked; the role state legislators play with the expansion of charter schools. The majority of charter school arguments take place in legislative sessions (not at family dinner tables) since the programs that enable choice in public education are legislative enactments. Who you vote for (or don’t) determines what educational programs are received in your community. Too often, the communities that need the most educational options have residents who are least likely to vote.

One can have the best ideas and plans on how to educate your communities but how public dollars are allocated is determined by an elected official not the school and the families that make up that school. In order to help change the crisis in education, families must become more informed of educational choices and involved in school district issues. Parents must also be engaged politically by voting for individuals that have their family’s best interest at stake.

A child’s education, whether charter or public, is dependent on the family foundation, the skills of the teachers he or she encounters daily, the leadership of the principals, the effectiveness of the school district, community engagement and who write the laws in state legislatures. In order to have more positive outcomes surrounding the education of children, parents must do their homework on issues and make sure they are investing in their child’s future by voting in every election.

In 2012, the survival of public education will be determined by who is elected to the highest office in the land. But locals must give as much priority to state and county elections. They are equally important especially when it comes to education.

*Data compiled from NCSL Issues and Research.