Horticulture Volunteer Spotlight
Warren 'Tab' Tabachik
Warren Tabachik, better known as Tab, has volunteered for Missouri Botanical Garden since 1982. He divides his time between the Climatron and the Greenhouses. Tab comes in Tuesdays and Fridays almost every week except during the summer, when he and his family head for Michigan.
In the Greenhouses, Tab specializes in cacti and succulents. We have one small greenhouse of cacti and succulents waiting for their new home in a newly constructed Desert House. Unfortunately, they may have quite a wait as there is no funding for the $14 million needed to construct and maintain the Desert House. In the meantime, Tab keeps busy maintaining the collection by re-potting, cutting, and trimming the plants. He and his fellow volunteers generate cuttings for sale at the Henry Shaw Cactus Society Show and Sale, generally held for a week in July.
In the Climatron, he does whatever needs to be done, including mulching, trimming, and picking up leaves. Susie Ratcliff, a Climatron staff member, comments that Tab goes and goes and goes, putting much younger people to shame. She says she does good to get him to sit down for lunch for 20 minutes. Deb Lalumondier, another staff member, jokes about her and Tab growing up together since he started only 3 months before she did, over 20 years ago. Susie and Deb comment on how pleasant it is to work with Tab, due to his easy going nature, dependability, ability to work on his own, and the fact that he will do what is asked of him without complaint. He has received 3 different awards for his work as a volunteer here.
So, why does this man devote this much time to volunteering? He likes Missouri Botanical Garden and the people with whom he works. He felt lucky to retire early and wanted to repay society in some way. Tab jokes that he also needs to give his wife of 60 years a rest from him. But mainly, he says, he does it for himself.