NC Arboretum founding director George Briggs honored with Order of the Long Leaf Pine

ASHEVILLE - George Briggs, founding director of The North Carolina Arboretum who recently retired after 37 years of service, has been awarded membership in North Carolina’s highest honor society, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

The designation, awarded by the Office of the Governor, was announced by UNC President Peter Hans, represented by incoming executive director Drake Fowler at a July 19 banquet held in observance of Briggs’ retirement.

“As a native Tar Heel, son of a nurseryman, and teacher of horticulture, I have unintentionally, but proudly, worn a lot of pine tar throughout my life, but none as humbling as this,” Briggs said. “I am grateful to our governor for this recognition and to the staff, boards, volunteers, donors, and members who have collectively brought the Arboretum to international significance.”

More: North Carolina Arboretum founding director George Briggs to retire after 37 years

Briggs began his tenure in 1987, and over the ensuing nearly four decades, guided the development of the 434-acre Arboretum from a temporary office trailer housing administrative offices into a nationally recognized attraction, including the construction of an education center and visitors’ center, 65 acres of cultivated gardens and 10 miles of trails. Today, as Western North Carolina’s major state-supported attraction, the Arboretum serves over 600,000 annual visitors and 100,000 students throughout North Carolina and garners support from over 20,000 household memberships.

Briggs was appointed by the late UNC President C.D. Spangler, reported to seven University System presidents, and appeared twice on William Friday’s "North Carolina People" PBSNC television program.

A former professor of Horticulture at Virginia Tech and executive director of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Briggs served as president of the American Public Gardens Association, and founded and presided as chair at the first World Congress of Botanical Gardens held in Asheville that ratified an inaugural policy framework for plant conservation in public gardens worldwide. Briggs has received numerous professional awards, including recognition by the N.C. Office of State Construction for Excellence in the Built Environment and induction into the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

“It has been my privilege to work for so many years with these generous and supportive mentors, colleagues and friends, and with the UNC System. I am also indebted to the people of North Carolina for allowing me the opportunity of engaging with creative educational, environmental and economic processes that will continue to yield increasingly broad impact far into the future across our state,” Briggs said.

Briggs retired on Aug. 1. In honor of his and wife Sara’s service and dedication, the Arboretum in July established the George and Sara Briggs Family Endowment for Art, Landscape & Inspiration. The foundation will create positive and lasting impressions for visitors of all ages by funding elements characteristic of The North Carolina Arboretum and its unique setting within the Southern Appalachian region. For more information, visit ncarboretum.org .

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award celebrates people in North Carolina who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

More: Asheville Orchid Festival will feature thousands of blooms at NC Arboretum

More: Dr. Margaret Noel, founder of MemoryCare, honored with NC Order of the Long Leaf Pine

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Arboretum founding director George Briggs honored with Order of the Long Leaf Pine