Founding director George Briggs was instrumental in creating the NC Arboretum as we know it today, with its 65 acres of beautifully cultivated gardens, 10+ miles of trails, and educational programming. Recognizing the fruits of this labor, the Office of the Governor awarded Briggs the Order of the Long Leaf Pine — which is reserved for individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state and is the highest civilian honor a North Carolinian can receive.
Briggs began working at the NC Arboretum in 1987 as its first executive director. In the beginning, his office was a trailer, but over the next 37 years, he helped the public gardens grow to serve more than 600,000 yearly visitors.
Briggs retired at the beginning of this month, and to commend the work of him and his wife, the arboretum created the George and Sara Briggs Family Endowment for Art, Landscape & Inspiration — you can donate to the endowment to support creative landscaping projects.
