Many people in the public light chase titles. Lydia Ryan Galton chased resolution. Described as tireless, passionate, well read and outspoken, with a disarming sense of humor, she worked to;

  • get Naples its first official botanical garden
  • guarantee environmental oversight of rural land development in Collier County
  • galvanize the city’s League of Women Voters
  • protect the elderly from identity theft

The Naples activist died Sunday at age 79, barely more than a year after the death of her husband, Jim, the force behind Marvel comics.

Galton was most publicly known for her work with the Naples Garden Club, forging its partnership with the fledgling Naples Botanical Garden. But environmentalists knew her for exposing a Rural Land Stewardship Advisory Review Committee attempt to end-run development reviews around the Environmental Advisory Committee and the Collier County Planning Commission, recalled Sandy Parker, past president of the local League of Women Voters. (Naples Daily News June 28, 2018) CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY