Judith Daria Zuk (September 11, 1951 – September 1, 2007) was an American

horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

, author and conservationist who served as president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden from 1990 to 2005.

Biography

A native of Canandaigua, New York, Zuk attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, graduating ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with a degree in botany. Following graduate studies at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

, she received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in public garden administration. Prior to accepting the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

position, she held the post of director of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

Scott Arboretum Scott Arboretum () is an arboretum coterminous with the campus of and operated by Swarthmore College. It is open to the public daily without charge. The arboretum was established and endowed by the Scott family in 1929 in honor of Arthur Hoyt Sc ...

. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, founded in 1910, was commemorating its 80th anniversary as Judith Zuk assumed the directorship. Considered one of America's leading institutions of its type, the Garden had just undergone a spate of construction work designed to expand its building area. The space dedicated to nature, however, was still in need of renovation and in the months and years to come, Zuk proved to be a tireless fundraiser, bringing in millions of dollars to refurbish such areas as the fragrance garden, the Cranford rose garden, the Japanese hill-and-pond garden and the children's garden. She was also an ardent conservationist and environmentalist, representing the United States at the

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a plant conservation biology, conservation Charitable organization, charity based in Kew, Surrey, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, who ...

, a worldwide organization created to ensure the survival of plants facing extinction. Another of her projects was a new high school dedicated to environmental issues, which she realized with the help of the administration of adjoining Prospect Park and

The New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

Later years

Upon her retirement in mid-2005, she was honored with the renaming of the Garden's magnolia plaza as well as a golden yellow variety of magnolia, developed at the Garden, to be known as "Judy Zuk". Judith Zuk died in Brooklyn of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 2007, ten days before her 56th birthday. Zk had lived for many years in Park Slope.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuk, Judith D. 1951 births 2007 deaths American women botanists American botanists American conservationists American environmentalists American women environmentalists American horticulturists People from Park Slope Rutgers University alumni Swarthmore College faculty University of Delaware alumni Deaths from breast cancer in New York (state) People from Canandaigua, New York 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American scientists Activists from New York (state) Scientists from New York (state) American women academics