Elizabeth "Betty" Scholtz

Elizabeth

Years: 

1921–2020

Year Hutchinson Medal awarded:

1991

Scholtz graduated from the University of Witwatersrand with degrees in zoology and botany. She was the first woman to direct a major urban botanical garden in the U.S. when she was appointed director of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1972.

Key contributions:

  • She served on boards/committees of major horticultural and public garden organizations
  • Played a key role in forming and supporting Teatown Lake Reservation’s early environmental programming
  • Remembered as an “inspiration for generations of gardeners worldwide” and a pioneering figure in public horticulture

Other honors:

  • Arthur Hoyt Scott Garden & Horticulture Medal (1981)
  • Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal—American Horticultural Society (1984), the highest U.S. horticultural honor
  • Gold Veitch Memorial Medal—Royal Horticultural Society (1990)
  • Medal of Honor—Garden Club of America (1990) Honorary Life
  • Member Award—American Public Gardens Association (2008)
  • Honorary degrees from Pace University and Long Island University.