Barry Fugatt Wins National Teaching Award
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 18, 2020) -- Barry Fugatt, director of horticulture at the Tulsa Garden Center, has been named the 2020 recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s (AHS) Teaching Award, which is given to an individual whose ability to share his or her horticultural knowledge with others has contributed to a better public understanding of the plant world and its important influence on society.
The accolade is one of the Great American Gardeners Awards that the AHS presents annually to individuals, organizations, and businesses that represent the best in American gardening. Each of the recipients has contributed significantly to fields such as scientific research, garden communication, landscape design, youth gardening, and conservation.
For more than 50 years, Barry has been educating people about plants. Deemed by a colleague “the spiritual leader of gardening,” Barry is known for his passionate and inspiring teaching style, which enables him to connect people with plants—even individuals without prior horticultural experience or enthusiasm. Early in his career, Barry was a county Extension agent in ornamental horticulture for Oklahoma State University, where he created its Master Gardener program. He went on to become Extension director before joining the Tulsa Garden Center as director of horticulture. Shortly after assuming the position, he created the Linnaeus Teaching Garden and volunteer program; in the last 15 years, the program has graduated over 640 students and maintains 262 active volunteers.
Barry is also a skilled garden communicator, contributing regularly to local television programs, presenting at conferences, and writing newspaper articles.
On Thursday, June 18, the AHS will honor Barry and other award recipients during the Great American Gardeners Awards Ceremony and Banquet, held at the Society’s River Farm headquarters in Alexandria, Va. For full descriptions of each award and brief biographies of this year’s recipients, please visit the 2020 Award Winners.
Founded in 1922, the American Horticultural Society is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to modeling, educating about, and advocating for earth-friendly and sustainable gardening practices. Their mission is to share with all Americans the critical role of plants, gardens, and green spaces in creating healthy, livable communities and a sustainable planet. Since 1973, they have been headquartered at River Farm, part of George Washington’s original land holdings on a 25-acre site composed of gardens, meadows, and woodlands along the Potomac River in the Mount Vernon section of Fairfax County. To learn more, visit https://ahsgardening.org.