Margo MacIntyre ended her retirement party on May 22 by reading a list of humorous wisdom she’s learned throughout the years of working as the curator of Coker Arboretum. During her career with the North Carolina Botanical Garden, she maintained Coker Arboretum by caring for and replenishing the various plants that grow.
MacIntyre said, “I love to be outside. I love to see things grow and to see them spread unless they’re weeds.”
MacIntyre, as well as her colleagues, work outside in the gardens almost every single day tending to more than 400 species of plants that they grow. Some notable ones are magnolias, loblolly pines, and sweetgum trees. MacIntyre’s personal favorite is the White Oak Tree. I asked her what she’s looking forward to doing in retirement.
“I still think that I want to go skiing in Steamboat Springs [in Colorado], and spend more than just a short period of time out there,” she said. “And then do what we do, get a North Carolina map and find the back roads in the mountains and the waterfalls and that kind of thing.”
Geoffrey Neal will be replacing MacIntyre as the curator of Coker Arboretum. He has worked closely with her over the last 11 years as the assistant curator. Together, the two are responsible for every aspect of maintenance at the garden. Whether it’s mowing the lawn, pruning the plants, or weeding the flower beds, Neal and MacIntyre do it.
“We have spent the last 11 years just playing to each other’s strengths basically,” Neal said. “Crafting a division of labor that works for the space to ensure that everything gets done.”
Education outreach is a big part of a curator’s career. Often field trips, summer camps, and curious individuals wander through the gardens. MacIntyre and Neal answer any questions they have and help teach them about the different types of plants growing.
“We’ve got a group of kids who come through every year that I’ll have an opportunity to have that working relationship with,” Neal said, “and be able to then follow up with these individuals after that and move that forward.”
Neal said he is happy for MacIntyre in her retirement, but sad that the arboretum will be losing such a wonderful person.
“I’m also very confident that when I need help and hopefully it won’t be too often, that she’s someone I can come back to as the years go by. And I know that she will stay in touch as well, and that’s very reassuring,” said Neal.
I talked with Finn Cantrell, one of MacIntyre’s interns over the years. Cantrell has known her roughly a decade, interning with her as a work study student in the Summer of 2014. The two have kept in touch and remain friends.
“Honestly, working in the [arboretum] helped me graduate at the time because I was just having a really rough time my senior year trying to get through school and it was such a relief to just get outside and dig in the dirt,” Cantrell said. “And she was an amazing mentor. I know she’s been that for a lot of people over the years as well.”
Her very last intern, Ella Howie, a student at UNC, has similar feelings towards MacIntyre.
“She told me that I was her last intern… and it is honestly very honorable for me to be that,” she said, “just because I know she’s touched the lives of so many students under her guidance.”
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines