Marie Selby
(1885-1971)

Died aged c. 86

Marie Selby was born Mariah Minshall, August 9, 1885 in Wood County, West Virginia. She attended a music seminary in Illinois, after which she met William Selby, a partner in the Selby Oil and Gas Company (which later created the Texaco Oil Company). They were married in 1908. William Selby brought Marie to Sarasota the year after their marriage. They built their bayfront residence in 1921. Marie created a garden for the property, enhancing it with flowerbeds and borders of flowers. The garden specializes in epiphytes (air plants) and has what many consider the most beautiful botanical garden collection of orchids in the United States. Marie Selby willed the property to the community as a garden; it was opened to the public in 1975. The Selbys also established the William and Marie Selby Foundation in 1955. Since its inception, the foundation has gifted more than 3,000 grants totaling $50 million for education and scholarships. Marie Selby died June 9, 1971.

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