Gift Endows Horticulture Directorship at Cornell Botanic Gardens

By vote of the university Board of Trustees, Cornell Botanic Gardens has established the Elizabeth Weaver Director of Horticulture position. The endowed position honors Elizabeth Weaver’57, whose recent bequest to the botanic gardens is designated to support the ongoing care, management, and enhancement of its horticultural collections.

The horticulture director at Cornell Botanic Gardens has principal responsibility for the curatorial vision and stewardship of the botanic gardens’ diverse collections of more than 10,078 accessioned plants and 3,044 trees. The director supervises a staff of 18 and oversees the maintenance and enhancement of 100 acres, comprising the cultivated gardens around the Nevin Welcome Center and the F. R. Newman Arboretum.

“Elizabeth Weaver’s generosity is an investment in our mission and a statement of confidence in our work,” said Christopher Dunn, the Elizabeth Newman Wilds Director of Cornell Botanic Gardens. “Her foresight in designating the gift to establish an endowment means that we will have a permanent stream of income to support the director of horticulture position, as well as to create exciting gardens that help nurture the connections people have to plants.”

Cornell Botanic Gardens soon will undertake a national search for a director of horticulture to fill the now-vacant position. The establishment of the Elizabeth Weaver Director of Horticulture position will help the organization recruit and retain exceptional horticultural talent now, and in perpetuity, Dunn said.

Elizabeth Weaver majored in history in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, graduating in 1957. She went on to become a Russia specialist at the National Security Agency, and at one time, worked for the Library of Congress. She died February 7, 2018.