Volunteer Spotlight: Don McBurney

By Karen Santelli

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

Donald McBurney began volunteering at Phipps after he retired in 2006 from a nearly 40-year career as a psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh. “My specialty in psychology was perception, specifically taste and smell,” so working with plants is a natural extension of his professional interests, he said.

A Phipps Master Gardener since 2015, Don has been gardening since he was a little boy, when his family maintained a Victory Garden during World War II. “When I was 10 years old, I’d have my row to hoe every day,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed gardening. It’s just a really relaxing thing for me to do. I like to get my hands in the dirt.” At Phipps, he pots plants in the greenhouse; he also volunteers as a floating docent and a CSL docent, teaching visitors about plants and sustainability. He especially enjoys interacting with visitors from foreign countries who teach him about their native plants and how they are used.

In addition to working at Phipps twice a week, Don volunteers as a gardener at Church of the Ascension in Oakland. Don lives with his wife, Joan, in Shadyside, and their daughter, Ruth Quint, also volunteers in the greenhouse at Phipps.

Select photos © Denmarsh Photography, Inc.