BY...Linda Newton

Judy Mannen was honored recently as Colleyville's Volunteer of the Year for her involvement in the community. Each year the United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County invites cities to recognize an individual for their contributions to that city. Mannen was nominated by fellow Colleyville Garden Club member Barbara Nuss, and was presented with a proclamation at the May 15 city council meeting by Mayor Donna Arp. The nomination submitted referenced her design work of the ballustrada at the Colleyville Community Center, but Mannen's community involvement precedes that by more than a decade of service.

Judy and her husband, Dion, a recently retired American Airlines pilot, moved to Colleyville twelve years ago from Chicago. Her initial involvement in the community involved displaying her garden on the very first Colleyville Garden Club Promenade, an annual garden tour. She was not a member of the club at that time, but was persuaded by Judy Fisher, Jackie Battreal, and Scotty Smyth to allow her recently completed Japanese garden to be on the event. She subsequently joined the club and the rest is history.

Involvement in Colleyville's first recycling efforts led to her appointment to the Colleyville Environmental Board in the early 1990's. Concurrent with this was her volunteer work with the Ecology Center at Grapevine High School, where she was instrumental in implementing the Seeds of Learning project, a hands-on project for special needs students. Judy was also recognized as Colleyville's Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 1993.

Her professional background prior to becoming a Colleyville resident combined her love of art with the technicalities of engineering. As a high school student she was awarded art scholarships and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. After working a number of years for World Book Encyclopedia, Judy and a partner formed an engineering company. She ultimately sold her interest in the firm to her partner several years after moving to Colleyville. Her interest in landscaping had begun prior to her move to Texas, but took on a new meaning with her arrival here. She completed a landscaping program and became a certified landscape designer.

Mannen's involvement in the ballustrada design at the Community Center began over two years ago. That project began as an idea for a few flowerbeds with paveway paths to the beautiful structure it is today, according to former Garden Club President Barbara Nuss. "The city of Colleyville now has a beautiful showpiece thanks to the hard work of Judy Mannen and the Colleyville Garden Club" Nuss comments. Her artistic ability is evident in her painting of the ballustrada, which currently hangs in the offices of the Community Center. The photograph accompanying this article was computer enhanced by Mannen to show the future appearance of the structure as the surrounding landscaping matures. The Garden Club has received national awards for the design and construction of the ballustrada.

Unfortunately Colleyville will soon be deprived of Mannen's commitment and energy. She and her husband are in the midst of a long-planned retirement move to Prescott, Arizona. Her vision, talent and ability to work with others will soon become an asset to her new community. However, she leaves behind many friends and a lasting memory of her time here. In the words of Mayor Donna Arp, "Judy has been a dedicated community volunteer whose efforts, especially her tireless work beautifying Colleyville, will be a long lasting benefit to our citizens."