June 24, 2004
Wott acting director, Hinckley steps down at Urban Horticulture
John Wott, professor of forest resources and director of the Washington Park Arboretum for more than 10 years, has been named acting director of the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture in addition to his duties as arboretum director. The appointment is effective June 16 until Sept. 15, or until a new director for the arboretum and the center arrives.
A search has been underway since last fall for a new director of the center which conducts work on such things as preserving Washington’s endangered plants, finding ways to re-establish native grasses and plants in the region’s prairies, rehabilitating wetlands and natural areas in cities, and helping home gardeners and landscape professionals.
Thomas Hinckley, professor of forest resources and center director for four years, is now returning to full-time teaching and research. “Dr. Hinckley was director during some of the most trying times, including the ‘fire bombing’ of Merrill Hall,” according to Bruce Bare, dean of the College of Forest Resources, of which the center is part.
Hinckley has recently been instrumental in the design and execution of the new four-course core sequence in the college’s Environmental Science and Resource Management Program. Hinckley will continue to play an even larger role in the transformation of the college, Bare said.
“The college, his colleagues and many friends all wish him well and greatly appreciate the extraordinary service he provided to the university and to the community.”
Wott has been a UW faculty member since the Center for Urban Horticulture was created in 1981. The 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum, of which he’s been director since 1993, has 4,600 species of woody plants from the Pacific Northwest and 60 countries. The UW is one of three partners in the arboretum: The city owns the land and maintains the roads, trails and performs other such functions; the university owns and manages the plant collections and conducts educational programs; and the not-for-profit Arboretum Foundation provides leadership, volunteers and fund raising.
Wott possesses the knowledge and skill necessary to provide managerial oversight of both the center and arboretum, Bare said. “He is also experienced in working with the gardening, horticultural, civic, and governmental groups that work with both institutions.”
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For more information:
Wott: (206) 543-8602, jwott@u.washington.edu
