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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2005 Annual Report
Judith D. Zuk Tribute
Judith D. Zuk
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is proud to pay special tribute to Judith D. Zuk for her extraordinary achievements as president from 1990 to 2005. Her warmth, kindness, extraordinary vision, and leadership have made it possible for millions of people to enjoy and learn from the remarkable beauty and rich natural diversity of one of the world's great urban botanic gardens.
Judy played a significant role in ensuring the strength and vitality of BBG's historic gardens and collections. During her tenure, many gardens were restored, renovated, and enhanced—including the Children's Garden, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, Fragrance Garden, Lily Pool Terrace, and, most recently, the Osborne Garden, Magnolia Plaza, and Cranford Rose Garden. BBG's collections grew through additions such as the Japanese tree peony collection, the expansion of the orchid collection, and many others.
She helped BBG to deepen its founding commitment to education and community outreach by establishing innovative programs that extend beyond our 52 acres. Brooklyn GreenBridge, the Garden's community horticulture program, now reaches over 40,000 borough residents each year. BBG also helped to create Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), in collaboration with the Prospect Park Alliance and the NYC Department of Education, as the first public high school in Brooklyn with an environmental focus.
Judy's work to align BBG with plant conservation organizations worldwide also enhanced BBG's role as a steward of the natural environment. The Garden has formed partnerships with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the Center for Plant Conservation, and the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology, among many other organizations, in addition to continuing a long-term study of plants in the New York metropolitan area.
She has made a lasting contribution to the cultural life of New York City and to BBG's place as a world-class botanic garden. With the creation of our Master Site Plan, Judy leaves a legacy that will ensure that BBG remains a vibrant and vital institution for decades to come.
It is BBG's pleasure and honor to name the Judith D. Zuk Magnolia Plaza and Magnolia × 'Judy Zuk' in recognition of all that Judy has done for the Garden and New York City.
BBG Growth & Significant Achievements | 1990—2005
1990—BBG's Science department begins the New York Metropolitan Flora, the first plant inventory of the region in 80 years, to document changes in plant biodiversity.
1991—BBG initiates a long-range plan for Science, which includes consolidating all research into one location with a state-of-the-art herbarium—the new Science Center and Library at 109 Montgomery Street.
1992—The Rock Garden is expanded. BBG gives the first Better Earth Award to Francis H. Cabot recognizing his commitment to garden preservation.
1993—Brooklyn GreenBridge founded, establishing BBG's boroughwide community outreach programs to promote conservation and community development through gardening. With funding from the Department of Sanitation, Brooklyn GreenBridge also launches the Urban Composting Project to provide training and public information about the importance of recycling. The Lily Pool Terrace is renovated.
1994—The Administration Building reopens after a two-year renovation. A new mixed perennial border is added to the renovated Lily Pool Terrace. BBG's Certificate in Horticulture program is established in the Continuing Education department.
1995—The Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest is founded as a friendly competition to promote and celebrate community greening and beautification throughout Brooklyn. Project Green Reach, BBG's science outreach program for Title I elementary schools in Brooklyn, receives the Award for Program Excellence from the American Association of Museums.
1996—BBG opens the new Discovery Garden and adds the Amazing Plants! exhibit and mobile Discovery Carts as part of a four-year National Science Foundation—funded collaboration with the Brooklyn Children's Museum to put children in direct contact with plants. BBG launches its website, www.bbg.org.
1997—BBG hosts the annual meeting of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA). The Gardener's Resource Center opens in the Administration Building, providing enhanced on-site reference services for visitors and the call-in Gardener's Help Line. The American Horticultural Society A—Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, edited by Judith D. Zuk and Christopher Brickell, is published, profiling 15,000 ornamental garden plants.
1998—Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program (BCAP), an educational summer camp for children, is founded in partnership with the Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park Alliance and Prospect Park Zoo. The Rare Book Room is completed in the Administration Building to house BBG's 1,500-volume collection of significant early botanical and horticultural works. Judy receives the Arthur Hoyt Scott Garden and Horticulture Medal from Swarthmore College.
1999—The Children's Garden house and field are renovated and improved. At the Children's Garden 85th anniversary celebration the garden's field is named Miss Shaw's Garden, in honor of the founder of the program, and the house is dedicated as the Frances M. Miner Children's Garden House.
2000—Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden reopens following a major restoration; it receives the New York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for excellence in landscape preservation. The Center for Urban Restoration Ecology (CURE) is founded with Rutgers University as the first institute dedicated to urban restoration ecology. The BBG Florilegium Society is established as the first florilegium at a botanic garden in the United States, with 40 of the country's most accomplished botanical artists to create an artistic and scientific record of the plants in BBG's collections. BBG's Master Site Plan is completed and approved by the Board of Trustees. Judy receives the Garden Club of America Medal of Honor for outstanding service to horticulture.
2001—BBG joins the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) to help save rare and declining plant species in the Northeast. The Shakespeare and Herb Gardens get new paving; and the Fragrance Garden is named in honor of its designer, Alice Recknagel Ireys. Forsythia Youth Award is established to recognize a young person who has contributed to the improvement of his/her community and is concerned about the environment as demonstrated by the individual's spirit of voluntarism. Judy receives the Distinguished Achievement Medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
2002—BBG begins its most significant replanting project in decades, replacing the double allees of 80-year-old Armistice maples on Cherry Esplanade with scarlet oaks; the new plantings are dedicated as the Liberty Oaks in remembrance of September 11, 2001. Also in commemoration of September 11, the town of Yatsuka-Cho in Shimane Prefecture, Japan, gives 300 tree peonies representing 50 varieties to BBG to "bring peace of mind to people in the United States." BBG becomes the U.S. office of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) as part of a global initiative to help build the capacity of botanic gardens to conserve plants. The Heart of Brooklyn cultural partnership is founded by BBG, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park, and Prospect Park Zoo to promote the area as a rich cultural destination.
2003—Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), Brooklyn's first environmentally focused high school, is founded with the Prospect Park Alliance, in collaboration with New Visions for Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education. BBG launches Urban Habitats, an open-access electronic journal on current research on the biology of urban areas. The New York Metropolitan Flora receives the Award for Program Excellence from the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA).
2004—Restoration of the Osborne Garden and Magnolia Plaza begins. The 90th anniversary of the Children's Garden program is celebrated. A new Garden Apprentice Program for high school students begins, which offers teenagers sustained contact with the Garden. Judy receives the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA) Honorary Life Member Award for her dedication and visionary leadership to the profession of public gardens, and the American Horticultural Society Professional Award for her significant contributions to the field of horticulture.
2005—New Eastern Parkway entrance, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP, is opened, along with the restored Osborne Garden and Magnolia Plaza. The central pavilion in the Cranford Rose Garden is restored. Design of a new Visitor Center begins. BBG introduces its new visual identity, which includes a new logo. Judy receives the Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture.