From Dr. Laura Deeter, Director of Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens:
A legacy rooted in a passion for plants, education, and people.
How do you honor someone whose impact is legendary? It’s hard for me to find appropriate words. But I will try to express some of what Steve Still meant to me (and probably many others) and the world of horticulture.
Many of us knew him as a professor for either woody and/or herbaceous plant identification. And I will say, he seemed larger than life; he knew every plant (at least as far as I was concerned). Many of us spent hours in the ID lab, going over small characteristics, trying to memorize scientific names. He used humor, funny anecdotes, and silly sayings to help us all learn. I’ve spoken to many students who are still, to this day, traumatized by viburnum week! He had a quiet sense of humor in the classroom that at first seemed very dry (at least to me). But once I started learning more about plants, his humor made a lot more sense, and I would find myself chuckling quietly during lecture, even as I was scared to make too many mistakes on my plant ID quizzes. One week he gave us THREE Cornus sanguinea on the same quiz, and, while we all thought this very mean at the time, I saw the point. Each plant is separate, and each needs to be looked at without consideration for previous quiz plants. While many of the trees I missed on quizzes are no longer on campus, I can remember them all. Thankfully, there weren’t too many!
He taught me to actually read the book. He would ask questions from the text that he never mentioned in class. Oops. Never again. Always read the plants we covered! And as we moved into professional positions in horticulture, the book (his Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, and Mike Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants) became our go-to resources. Mine from class is held together by duct tape.
Some of us also knew him as a graduate advisor. He was always kind, supportive, and helped guide our studies and research projects. He showed me how to search the research databases, and filter articles that might not be relevant. He encouraged all of us to read, observe, and make connections. As a graduate student, he would help me with the labs I had to teach, showing me where all the plants were, where possible quiz plants were, and the fastest way to grade those quizzes. But here again, that wry humor came though and we had a running bet. If he asked me the ID of a plant and I didn’t know it, I owed him a Diet Coke. If I DID know it, he bought the Diet Coke. We would frequently be walking, and he would say, “Hmmm… I’m a little thirsty now” and I knew I would be (probably) be the one purchasing that Diet Coke.
Some also knew him as colleague, either at Kansas State, Ohio State or through the Perennial Plant Association. I had many conversations with him about how to organize, plan, save money, or simply help whatever organization he was helping do better. He humbly existed to serve.
Finally, some of us got to also call him friend. He will forever be in my heart all of these things to me. I would not be the horticulturist, professor, teacher, plant lover, or many of the other things I am, without his presence.
It's entirely possible to go online and discover all that Steve did for the world of horticulture. Founding Director for Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, Founder and Leader of the Perennial Plant Association, author of the Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, and mentor to thousands of students. As impressive as his credentials, awards, and writings are, the impact of his legacy on the world of horticulture, though his passion for plants and education is hard to overstate and are even more impressive. Just talk to anyone who knew him.
Steve embodied all that is vital about horticulture and horticulture education, not just the plant itself, not just the student, but the nurturing of becoming, knowledge-sharing, and community building. He inspired students, colleagues, and gardeners to see beyond immediate tasks, to recognize the joy in discovery and the responsibility in stewardship.
His teaching and writing continue to guide professionals and hobbyists. The gardens he helped build survive as dynamic classrooms and tranquil spaces for thousands. His students now scatter worldwide, teaching and designing with the confidence and curiosity he instilled in them.
Though Dr. Still is no longer here to guide in person, his voice remains in every leaf examined, every garden planned, and every student encouraged. His legacy is ‘perennial’.
To learn more about Dr. Still's life and legacy, find his obituary here.
The family of Dr. Still would like to honor him through gifts to The Steven M. Still Herbaceous Plant Garden Endowment Fund.
Gifts to The Steven M. Still Herbaceous Plant Garden Endowment Fund can be made here.