‘Great people. Great place.’ scholarship honors retiring gardener

As part of the “Great people. Great place.” initiative, an anonymous donor and the Department of Horticulture have established the Bill Hoyt Great People Scholarship in honor of Hoyt’s retirement.

Hoyt was hired as the first gardener for Allen Centennial Gardens in 1987. As head gardener and senior outreach specialist at the Allen Centennial Gardens, Hoyt helped create the teaching and display gardens on the grounds of 620 Babcock Drive, the former CALS dean’s residence.

Season by season, Hoyt continues to define, design, install and maintain new gardens.

The fund will provide scholarship support for undergraduate students who would be unable to afford a college education without financial assistance, as determined by the Office of Student Financial Services.

The scholarship will continue to support and nurture UW–Madison undergraduates, as Hoyt did so enthusiastically during his career. The gift is part of the faculty/staff component of “Great people. Great place.” It was matched by the UW Credit Union through its “Great people.” component, which runs until Dec. 31, and that combined gift will be matched by the UW Foundation.