Donor Spotlight

Allen Bush Plants the Seed of Education

In his career as a horticulturalist, Allen Bush has introduced many exciting plants from the gardens of Europe into North America. Bush, who earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at the University of Kentucky in 1973, is now continuing his legacy of planting new seeds at his alma mater.

Bush has secured a $1.2 million gift for the University of Kentucky, a contribution which will be enhanced by donations from Kentucky’s Research Fund. Three endowments have been established as a result of the estate gift from Allen’s father George A. Bush. They include:

• The Bush-Holbrook Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship in Arts and Sciences
• The Bush-Holbrook Endowed Chair/Professorship in English
• The Bush-Holbrook Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Arts and Sciences

UK expects to award all 3 areas no later than fall 2011, and received a partial advanced gift in 2007 to award the Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professorship to Lisa Zunshine. Bush created the professorship because he was most passionate about his experiences in the English Department while at UK, citing Wendell Berry and Gurney Norman among those who had significant impact on his education.

Bush may have made horticulture his career after leaving UK, but he is still dedicated to sowing a different kind of seed to ensure UK’s continued excellence. The story of Bush’s transformation from University of Kentucky sociology major to world-renowned horticulturalist is featured in the November/December 2009 issue of The American Gardener.

Article posted with permission from the American Horticultural Society and the The American Gardener.