A tree fund named for Elizabeth (Betty) Berger Stevens seems an appropriate tribute to the woman responsible for the very roots of The Guilford Foundation. In the beginning, it was all about trees: In 1972, Betty and her mother, Emma Berger, lamented that so many of the stately trees around the green had succumbed to storms, age, or disease and had never been replaced. Betty brought together eight leading citizens who formed The Guilford Foundation, where she served as the first president. Soon, 14 ornamental Bradford pear trees were planted on Whitfield Street with donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations.

Betty’s contribution to Guilford went far beyond trees. If any activity involved “the culture, the welfare, the quality of the community of Guilford, her name was likely to be upon its active membership roll…Rarely has a single individual contributed to the community and its people as effectively and as quietly as did Elizabeth Berger Stevens,” wrote Phil Dudley in The Shoreline Times. Her ability to serve, lead, and make a difference was especially noteworthy in her work with the Guilford Free Library, the Guilford Board of Education, and the Visiting Nurse Association.

In 1980, The Foundation established a special tree maintenance fund that Betty generously supported. Upon Betty’s death in 1994, The Foundation changed the fund’s name to the Elizabeth B. Stevens Pear Tree Fund as “a fitting tribute to the memory of a longtime friend.”

In 2006, The Foundation updated the fund’s name to reflect the replacement of the pear trees with a new generation of trees. Individuals who share Betty’s love of the Guilford Green and the trees around it continue to support this fund.