Mark Hollis sculpture is centerpiece of eco-friendly garden

LAKELAND, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2008) — Florida Southern College will dedicate the Hollis Overlook Garden, the campus’s first fully sustainable garden, at noon Oct. 30. The centerpiece of the garden is the marble sculpture “Spirit,” by Mark C. Hollis Sr., past president and former vice chairman of the board of Publix Super Markets. The garden is a gift of Mr. Hollis and his wife Lynn.

The garden is situated at Ingraham Avenue and Lake Hollingsworth Drive, between the Barnett Residential Life Center and the Nina B. Hollis Wellness Center on the FSC campus. Ingraham Avenue will be closed to through-traffic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Duke Place to Lake Hollingsworth Drive for the dedication ceremony.

The Florida Southern campus has long been recognized for its idyllic views of Lake Hollingsworth. The Hollis Overlook Garden adds yet another spectacular view of Lakeland’s popular lake. Designed by Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Inc., the garden will be fully sustainable, comprising exclusively recycled materials and plants native to Florida. The three-tiered garden will include a canopy of existing trees and an open lawn punctuated by Mr. Hollis’s sculpture, as well as a meandering path of Florida fieldstone that connects it all. The Hollises envision the garden being “a place of reflection, meditation, observation, recovery, sincerity, elegant beauty, social well-being, and personal solitude.”

“The entire Florida Southern College community is indebted to Lynn and Mark Hollis for this magnificent garden with its inspiring sculpture. We are proud to add this garden that is the first at FSC to be fully sustainable,” said Dr. Anne B. Kerr, president of the College. “The continued greening of our campus is important to all of us as we strive to be better stewards of the earth, and we know that this extraordinary outdoor space will be enjoyed for generations.”