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Esiquio Narro
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| Esiquio Narro was born in Mexico in 1914 and immigrated at age 39 to Seattle, where he lived until his death at the age of 85. Esiquio spent most of his working years employed as a gardener; for 23 years he worked both at the Arboretum and on the University of Washington campus. In 1976 he retired but continued to do free-lance consulting, pruning and teaching. He was exceptionally talented in each of these realms. At its prime, his North Seattle garden was an Eden, luxuriant with diverse flowers, fruit and trees. |
| Esiquio was an acute observer: his sharp mind was expert at analysis. People who knew him loved him because he was well informed and a superb conversationalist. I have never met anyone who could talk so well, at such length, on such diversity of topics. I first met Esiquio in 1979 at the Arboretum; we later became friends. I did not know for years that he was just as adept at writing as speaking. |
| Esiquio didn't write for publication or money; he picked up the pen because he felt compelled to express his thoughts and feelings. It was as if he were addicted to sharing whatever was on his mind, so he either talked or wrote: he couldn't keep it to himself. He wrote abundantly, and before he died, told me to publish anything I thought was worthwhile. His writings consist of essays, letters, poems, fiction, class notes, jokes, recipes, and autobiographical notes, covering a vast breadth of topics --in all, amounting to 15,733 pages! |
In 2004 I published a book Selected Writings of Esiquio Narro, the net proceeds of which are donated to the Elisabeth Miller Library. The book is on my website.
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Art Kruckeberg
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| Art Kruckeberg, a botanist who turned 96 in March 2016, then died in May, had lived in Seattle, or nearby, since 1950. He moved from his first home in Seattle over 50 years ago, but today it remains surrounded by a diverse, lush array of both Pacific Northwest natives and imported plants, most of them planted by him. |
| Art met Brian and Margaret Mullligan in 1951 and began a decades-long association with them. Unlike most botany professors (especially these days), Art had a very green thumb; he did hands-on botany. He grew --with his wife Mareen-- thousands of different kinds of plants and shared propagules and information with countless people. Some of Art's plant introductions (his travels around the world were extensive) are the first of their kind to be planted in Washington state. He donated plants to the Arboretum and other local botanical collections. He led tours and taught at the Arboretum. He has helped in awareness raising, fund-raising and tree hugging for varied causes. |
To me, Art stood out not only for his great knowledge, towering height, and ability to grow things, but also because he held the broad views to which a Renaissance Scholar might aspire. He was a teacher, promoter and raconteur; he co-founded the Washington Native Plant Society in 1976; and, in 1982, he published Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, followed by other fine books. Unlike many scientists, his prose is felicitous and engaging to general readers. Though his license plate reads BOTANY, Art also was a geologist, horticulturist and pipe-smoking humanist. His large garden of treasured plants has been preserved as a City of Shoreline park (Kruckeberg Botanic Garden). For details, visit www.kruckeberg.org, and his garden, in person.
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(originally published in Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin Summer 2009, pages 3 and 4)
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