Greenwood Hosts Reception For UCSC Arboretum Donors

Chancellor Greenwood greets Arboretum supporter Elspeth Bobbs during a recent University House reception honoring Bobbs and other donors and volunteers who support the facility.

Ray Collett, founding director of the Arboretum, enjoys the reception.

At a University House reception, Chancellor Greenwood recently honored two longtime supporters of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum who gave gifts totaling $750,000.

Santa Fe resident Elspeth Bobbs gave $500,000 to establish the Ray Collett Arboretum Endowment to help support the facility’s general operating expenses. The campus and community have been challenged to match the gift, which honors Collett, founding director of the Arboretum.

A second gift to the Arboretum, made by Santa Cruz resident Barbara Shields in late December, has taken the campus halfway toward that matching goal. A lifelong gardening enthusiast and highly recognized watercolorist, Shields has established a charitable trust with a gift of $250,000, which will also support general operating expenses.

The Arboretum features plants from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as a California native plant garden and an extensive collection of conifers.

The gifts come at a time of transition for the Arboretum. Collett stepped down on January 1 after more than 30 years of service to the campus’s botanical collection. He and dozens of volunteer supporters of the Arboretum were honored at a reception on January 31. Ron Enomoto has been named interim director of the Arboretum, a post he will hold for 18 months.