By Scott Sieber
It was a tradition that he always knew he would carry on.”My first visit to the garden was when I was about 8 years old,” Meyer said. “I went to my first spring charity there. I remember my dad was always associated with the garden and my grandfather as well.” Meyer, a partner with the Long Island law firm of Farrell Fritz, was recently elected to serve on the garden's board of directors, making him the fourth generation in his family to sit on the board. Watching his father, George S. Meyer, who was the former chairman of the board, work for the gardens taught him the importance of the facility.”I think the gardens are really a tremendous asset,” he said. “They're building a new administration building which is not only going to give them a tremendous increase in space but show the way for the whole borough on how you can build a green building.”The garden is currently in the middle of constructing a green roof for the administration building, a $17.5 million project expected to use less energy and help reduce runoff.”I think the garden really displays a basic commitment to the borough,” said Meyer. “And it brings something that most city dwellers don't get a chance to experience on a day-to-day basis: space to wander and roam in.”Meyer lives in Oyster Bay and also serves as a member of the American, Suffolk County, Nassau County and New York State Bar associations. He said his great grandfather, Charles G. Meyer, was instrumental in rescuing the gardens from being destroyed after the 1964 World's Fair.”It needed a home back then,” he said. “And there was vacant land near Flushing Meadows Corona Park, so they moved the entire garden.”My family's been involved in Queens for well over 100 years, so getting involved with the garden was a natural match.”Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
