[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BRIGGS

 Mr. TILLIS. Madam President, today I rise to commend George 
Briggs for his remarkable 37-year tenure as executive director of the 
North Carolina Arboretum.
  Under Executive Director Briggs' guidance, the arboretum has 
flourished, boasting a dedicated staff of 150 and an additional 350 
volunteers. His leadership has been instrumental in earning the 
arboretum the distinction of America's Best Botanical Garden by 
Newsweek. Throughout his career, he has been a driving force in North 
Carolina's green industry and tourism economy.
  The arboretum welcomes over 600,000 visitors and 100,000 students 
annually, offering innovative educational programs and a serene 
environment of natural beauty.
  Prior to his tenure, Mr. Briggs served as a professor of horticulture 
at Virginia Tech and as executive director of the Nebraska Statewide 
Arboretum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As president of the 
American Public Gardens Association and as the founder and chair of the 
inaugural World Congress of Botanical Gardens held in Asheville, he 
worked to establish a policy framework for plant conservation in public 
gardens worldwide.
  A native of Reidsville, NC, Mr. Briggs has championed numerous 
economic development initiatives that have bolstered Asheville's 
climate science and business sectors and North Carolina's natural 
products economy.
  This year, Mr. Briggs announced his retirement from the arboretum, 
marking the end of a career characterized by unwavering dedication to 
Asheville and our State. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Executive 
Director Briggs for his lifelong commitment, and I wish him and his 
family all the best as he embarks on this new chapter of his 
life.

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