Betty Grimes is a true southern belle, born and raised in Cordele, Georgia. She attended Georgia Southwestern College in Americus and Georgia State University in Atlanta. Betty and James M. (Jim) Grimes, a Georgia Tech grad also from Cordele, have been married for over 50 years. They have one son, Scott, and two daughters, Cheri and Kay, and eight wonderful grandchildren.

Betty Grimes

After living in the Atlanta area for 40 years and working in the family business, Grimes Insurance Agency, as operations and financial manager, in 2000 Betty moved from Stone Mountain and retired with Jim to Hiawassee in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. Betty is a member of the Hiawassee Garden Club and serves on the Laurel District board. She has also served on the local board of the Mountain Arts Association.

Prior to moving to the mountains Betty served as Co-Director of Redbud District. She is a Master Flower Show Judge with a passion for flowers and design. She has presented a number of design programs, and chaired the Yellow Daisy Flower Show. She served as Co-Chair of the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc.'s Seventh Advanced Standard Flower Show "Georgia on My Mind, Under the Gold Dome" that was held in the State Capitol in Atlanta in 2005. Many of her designs appeared in Georgia's engagement calendar and The National Gardener, and she has four designs in the newly published book by National Garden Clubs, Inc., Designing By Types.

Betty helped organize two garden clubs in the Atlanta area, Wilson Woods Garden Club and Ladybugs Garden Club, serving as various committee chairs and officers in both clubs. She is active in the North Georgia Council of Flower Show Judges and served as treasurer of Judges Council and Symposium, and is past president of the Designers Club.

On the GCG Board of Directors, Betty served as Calendar Editor, 4th Vice President for Membership, 2nd Vice President and 1st Vice President as State Scholarship Chairman, the latter being her true passion. She has served on the Deep South Region board as Arboreta/Botanical Gardens Chair, and on National Garden Clubs, Inc. board as Youth Website Education Chair and on the Natural Disaster USA Committee. She is a National Garden Club, Inc., Deep South Regional and Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Life Member.

Betty Grimes is committed to leading the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. to "Flourish our Future." Her enthusiasm for growth for the members, Beautification, Conservation, Education for all of Georgia, and harmony in local garden clubs to foster these goals is her mantra for 2009-2011 as she works with the many dedicated members of GCG.