Major New Funding for Fairchild Tropical Garden's Tropical Fruit Program Announced; The Largest Individual Gift in the History of Fairchild Tropical Garden.

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CORAL GABLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2003

Fairchild Tropical Garden is proud to announce that it will receive a gift of $5 million, from Mr. And Mrs. William F. Whitman, to endow in perpetuity the tropical fruit program. This endowment includes the $1 million gift from Mr. And Mrs. Whitman for the William F. Whitman Tropical Fruit Pavilion, which opened on Saturday, November 8, 2003.

"I have been lucky to enjoy the splendors and diversity of tropical fruit, through this gift to Fairchild Tropical Garden, an institution with a commitment to research and horticultural excellence, I am helping to secure the traditions of David Fairchild and Wilson Popenoe, and further our understanding of tropical fruit," stated William F. Whitman.

Mr. Whitman, author of Five Decades of Tropical Fruit: A Personal Journey, is an internationally respected tropical fruit enthusiast and explorer who stands in comparison with the great plant collectors of the early twentieth century

"This extraordinary gift from Bill Whitman, a dedicated horticulturist and plant explorer, allows Fairchild Tropical Garden's Tropical Fruit Program to reach its full potential as an internationally important center for horticultural research, plant exploration and the release of new fruit selections to Florida growers. Fairchild Tropical Garden will honor Bill's legacy through providing a safe repository for tropical fruit trees that represent an irreplaceable cultural and culinary heritage," said Dr. Mike Maunder, Acting Director of Fairchild Tropical Garden.

The 38-foot high pavilion will allow visitors to see and experience some of the most exotic tropical fruit species only found in places like Borneo, the Amazon, Indonesia, Thailand and other exotic locations. No other garden in the US can boast such an extraordinary array of exotic species and selected varieties. This new display is designed to show the home gardener and cook the diversity of the tropical world.

The pavilion reflects a long collaboration between Fairchild Tropical Gardens and Mr. Bill Whitman. "Bill spent a lifetime traveling the world to collect the most exotic of tropical fruit - now these rare edible jewels have a permanent home at Fairchild Tropical Garden," added Richard J. Campbell, Senior Curator of Tropical Fruit.

Tropical fruit are increasingly popular in South Florida, an alternative to citrus for both the home and commercial grower. They offer a diversity of unique and new flavors to the home kitchen, a direct contribution to improving the quality of life for Florida families. As the Miami metropolitan area grows in cultural diversity so the value of exotic tropical fruits will increase, both for the adventurous seeking new flavors and for the nostalgic seeking a reminder of distant homes.

This new public display is part of Fairchild Tropical Garden's commitment to displaying the diversity of the tropical plant world to the people of South Florida. Fairchild Tropical Garden is one of the world's leading botanical gardens and is focused on tropical horticulture, botany, conservation and education. The Garden's Tropical Fruit Program is a world leader in the research and selection of tropical fruits and runs the Garden's very popular annual International Mango Festival. Fairchild Tropical Garden cultivates the national collection of mango cultivars (as recognized by USDA) and a globally important avocado collection.

"This gift is emblematic of a twenty year friendship and collaboration between Mr. Whitman and Fairchild Tropical Garden and will enhance the program for many years to come, and further secures Fairchild's position as one of the world's leading tropical botanical gardens," said Mr. Bruce Greer, President of the Board of Trustees.

The William F. Whitman Tropical Fruit Pavilion is now open at Fairchild Tropical Garden, located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables. For more information call 305-667-1651 or visit www.fairchildgarden.org.

Fairchild Tropical Garden is one of the world's leading botanical gardens and is focused on tropical horticulture, botany, conservation and education. The garden's Tropical Fruit Program is a world leader in the research and selection of tropical fruits and runs the garden's very popular annual International Mango festival. The Fruit Program has offices, laboratories and manages the Williams Grove, a tropical fruit station specializing in Caribbean avocado varieties, left to the Garden by Mr. Frank Williams of Homestead. Fairchild Tropical Garden cultivates the national collection of mango cultivars (as recognized by USDA) and a globally important avocado collection. Staff from the fruit program work with fruit producers, agriculturists and researchers in South and Central America, Africa and the Far East. Dr. Richard Campbell, head of the Tropical Fruit Program is Executive Secretary of the Interamerican Society for Tropical Horticulture (ISTH), the main regional network for tropical fruit production. The program has recently published two books on mango and jackfruit cultivation and production.

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