Few have given back to their hometowns the way that Ed Kushner has. “20 years is a long time to stick with something.” Ed says, “I never worked for the same employer for that amount of time, and the only outdoor activities that I did for more than 20 years were gardening and bicycling.”
And it was while biking up the hill to the Arboretum on a Tuesday, 20 years ago, that Ed noticed some folks working in the collection. “Curious, I got off of my bike and chatted with one of them.” Ed remembers, “He was a volunteer and told me that I should talk with Dan Moeller (Martin’s predecessor as curator). So, I did, and ended up filling out an application.”
Having recently retired from a career at Intel, Ed was looking for volunteer opportunities that aligned with his interests. With a PhD in Environmental Science and a talent for gardening, stewardship at Hoyt Arboretum was a perfect fit. “The next week I showed up on Tuesday and met several individuals who shared my interests,” Ed says.
When he first joined the Tuesday Crew there were about 10 regular members; nowadays, we see upwards of 20 on a weekly basis. In 2023 Tuesday Crew volunteers contributed 2,500 hours doing tasks like watering, removing invasives, planting, and so much more.
“For me the most important contribution of the Tuesday crew is helping reopen closed trails after a major storm-last January being the most recent example,” Ed says. Tuesday Crew is instrumental in cleaning up and clearing fallen trees and branches.
In the last 20 years Ed has seen Hoyt Arboretum through some changes. He notes, “The bamboo addressed an area that was a bit of an eyesore in the past, and there have been enhancements in the Winter Garden and the Redwood Collection.” He continues, “When you work most weeks you don’t notice that growth is ongoing, except, the collection of cypresses located by the water tower and near to the road from the zoo — 20 years ago these trees were 6-8 feet tall. Today they are about 25 feet tall. That’s a big change.”
Ed is retiring from the Tuesday Crew this fall, but plans to stay active at Hoyt through programs like community science. He’ll also spend more time with his wife Margaret, who recently retired from her career as a lawyer, and they’ll take more trips to visit their young grandchildren.
The Hoyt Arboretum community is so lucky to count on Ed and the rest of the Tuesday Crew to keep the Arboretum a safe and accessible park for all. Thank you, Ed!
Interested in joining Tuesday Crew or other Volunteer Programs at Hoyt Arboretum? Learn more here.