Dr. Gerard Donnelly, president, CEO of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

The American Public Gardens Associations (APGA), the premier professional organization for public gardens in North America, has awarded its most prestigious honor, the Honorary Life Member award, to Dr. Gerard Donnelly, president and CEO of the Morton Arboretum. The award recognizes his leadership in furthering the public garden realm, meritorious service to the association, and uncommon devotion to the field of public horticulture.

Donnelly has led the Morton Arboretum to substantial growth since taking on his position in 1990. He has advanced programs in collections, education, science and conservation at the 1,700-acre site, located 25 miles west of Chicago. He has also led regional, national and international collaborations.

Under Donnelly's direction, the organization has been accredited both as an arboretum and a museum. He oversaw a major site redevelopment featuring a Children's Garden, Maze Garden, enhanced Visitor Center, new main entrance, environmentally-friendly parking lot and restoration of Meadow Lake. These improvements have increased public awareness of the arboretum and its mission to save and plant trees.

Donnelly served as president of APGA in 1997-1999, hosted its annual conference in Chicago in 2005 and received the APGA Service Award in 2008.

Donnelly was trained as a botanist and forest ecologist, earning his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He is active in a number of groups, including the Directors of Large Gardens group, the ArbNet professional network of arboreta, the Global Trees Campaign in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

The Morton Arboretum was established in 1922 by Joy Morton, founder of the Morton Salt Co. This 1,700-acre "tree museum" is all about its plant collections, conserving trees, scientific research and education programs. Designed with natural landscapes, the grounds include the award-winning four-acre interactive Children's Garden, the one-acre Maze Garden, plus specialty gardens, 16 miles of trails and nine miles of roads. The arboretum welcomes more than 800,000 visitors a year, and has more than 35,600 members.