What Makes Someone a Legend?
When we recognize a person as a legend, typically it is an honor we confer because of that person’s achievement or their impact on us personally. TCI Magazine staff surveyed some key industry contacts as well as fellow TCIA employees, asking for nominations for a new “Legends” feature. Our staff ranked the dozens of suggestions received, and six people were selected to profile in this issue. We then invited fellow arborists to write their profiles.
It became clear that a great legend in one person’s mind may be of lesser importance in another’s. A legend also is someone a person or group looks to for guidance and mentorship, and what each of us looks for depends on a number of factors, such as our age, areas of interest and experience. Initially we were disappointed that we would only be able to profile a handful of nominees in this issue due to space constraints. But then we realized we could make this an annual feature – and that’s what we’ll do! We learned at least one thing new, interesting and/or entertaining about each of our legends in this issue. We venture to say you will, too. Please let us know who, in your eyes, is a legend we should profile. Email editor@tcia.org. – DON STARUK, EDITOR
Legends in Arboriculture
Sharon Lilly
For many, the transition from a job to a career in arboriculture starts with the purchase of the “ISA Arborist Certification Study Guide.” And when making that leap, it feels even more official when that certificate comes in the mail saying you’re now an ISA Certified Arborist. But, as with anything, someone was behind the scenes, leading the effort, and that someone was Sharon Lilly.
Mark Chisholm
In an issue dedicated to the “legends” of the industry, there’s no avoiding the name Mark Chisholm. His official tree-climbing career began more than 40 years ago, at age 12, helping with his dad’s business on weekends. He was making money rigging out trees before many in this industry today were born. But don’t let that fool you. “I could outclimb my 26-year-old world-championship self today,” he says.
John Ball, Ph.D.
When you walk out from a safety lecture by Dr. John Ball, you definitely feel better informed, but it’s also likely you feel a little unnerved.
Thomas Smiley, Ph.D.
Alex Shigo, father of modern arboriculture, burst on the arboricultural scene in the early 1980s with his theory of compartmentalization of decay in trees, CODIT. With this he changed our collective thinking about trees. He created a revolution in our field of arboriculture. That revolution is continuing today with new generations of researchers helping create new knowledge of trees and moving the bar ever forward. Dr. Thomas Smiley is one of these folks.
Jeff Jepson
Eight years ago, my best friend and now business partner gave me a copy of “Knots at Work” for my birthday. This gift came just a month into my journey into the captivating world of tree work. As an aspiring climber, I devoured the book and committed many of its pages to memory. Jeff Jepson’s straightforward style and no-nonsense explanations resonated with me like the work of few other writers had.
Donald F. Blair
Webster’s New World Dictionary’s definition of a mentor is the following: 1. A wise advisor 2. A teacher or coach.
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