[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17214]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF RICHARD W. BOERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 15, 2013

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dick Boers, 
who passed from this life on Wednesday October 2, 2013. Dick's family 
and friends will remember him in a memorial service at the Toledo 
Botanical Gardens on October 15, 2013.
  Dick Boers was ``a man for all seasons.'' A horticulturalist and 
landscape architect, Dick was instrumental in the establishment of the 
Toledo Botanical Gardens, then known as Crosby Gardens. He was later 
named Trustee Emeritus of the Gardens' Board and was affectionately 
known as ``Mr. Crosby.'' The gardens were a signature achievement in a 
distinguished career.
  Born in 1941 in Rochester, New York, Richard Boers graduated from 
Cornell University. He was pursuing his graduate degree at the 
University of Michigan when he was recruited by the City of Toledo as a 
seasonal park designer. In 1965 he was named the City's Forestry 
Commissioner, at age 25 the youngest in the city's history and the 
youngest in the nation. Dick spent the next thirty years in the City of 
Toledo's Parks Department. A dedicated public service, Dick's efforts 
during his tenure were evident and everywhere. He was widely credited 
with ``greening up'' industrial Toledo. Even as he served the City and 
the citizens of Toledo, Dick was a respected member of several 
professional organizations and his talent was sought by many.
  The Toledo Blade noted that ``A sign in Dick's office summed up who 
he was, `There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if 
he doesn't mind who gets the credit.'' Philosophers' words indeed, and 
characteristic of Dick's wisdom.
  Dick Boers' efforts of his lifetime are all around us in our city. 
His legacy is a gift of beautiful landscapes to be enjoyed for 
generations to come. When the flowering pear trees burst into bloom in 
early spring in downtown Toledo, and along the city's thoroughfares, we 
shall fondly remember Dick Boers. When the annual arts festival is held 
at the Toledo Botanical Gardens, we shall say thank you to Dick Boers. 
When native plant species like the blue lupine displace invasive 
species, we express appreciation to Dick Boers for beautifying our 
parks and environs. For every part of nature he tended and stewarded to 
the next generation, we say thank you always to Dick Boers.

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