The Continuing Journey

Barry Fugatt, Dr. D.C. Coston, Pat Woodrum and Dan Zaloudek decided at their first meeting in 1999 that Tulsa would have a world-class botanical garden.

All brought passion to the table. Fugatt, then director of Tulsa's Master Gardener program, had visited botanical gardens across the nation, coming home each time disappointed that Tulsa did not have one.

Coston, of Oklahoma State University, saw a botanical garden in the Tulsa area as an unmatched opportunity for research and education. Woodrum, former executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library system, and Zaloudek, a retired business executive, wanted to help develop a garden/research/education center that would benefit Tulsa and Oklahoma.

The botanical garden would offer entertainment, research and education. Entertainment would be the joy of seeing and discovering plants as well as attending plays, concerts and other community events. The entire Garden would be a living laboratory for botanical, agricultural, medical and academic research. Education would be never-ending for school children, college and graduate school students and home gardeners.

Major developments since then:

• The site was selected from nearly a dozen possible locations in 2005.

• One hundred seventy acres were donated by Persimmon Ridge LLC, with principals Gentner Drummond and Tom Atherton.

• The first employees – an executive director, communications director and development director – were hired in 2006.

• Ground was broken by Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor and board members in 2007.

• The Centennial Phase – the seven-acre lake, Visitor Center and new access road – was funded with a $2.2 million grant from the Oklahoma Centennial Commission. Dedication was in 2008.

• The first landscape plantings – 300 ornamental and shade trees and sod – and a walking path around the lake – were installed in 2010.

• Work to extend water and sewer to the Garden site was begun in 2010 with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.