For MultiCare Health System\u2019s retiring horticulturalist and landscape designer extraordinaire Sheldon Arkin, creating and tending the gardens of MultiCare over the past 30 years has been more than a job; it has been a calling. As he moves into retirement, here are five unforgettable things to know about Sheldon:<\/p>\n
1. A master with a master’s.<\/strong> Sheldon graduated from Santa Monica College with a bachelor’s degree and continued his studies at Humboldt State, earning a master’s degree. At 33, he joined MultiCare as a supervisor and eventually moved up to head groundskeeper for all MultiCare facilities.<\/p>\n 2. Creating healing spaces.<\/strong> The creations of Sheldon’s vision, perseverance and unrelenting patience are perhaps most visible at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital\u2019s gardens, which hold more than 1,400 rose bushes and 20 topiaries. The award-winning Baker Garden is often a respite for families seeking solace, a destination for employees joining together during lunch breaks, and a source of bouquets for patients with terminal illnesses and patients without visitors.<\/p>\n 3. Weekend deliveries.<\/strong> Sheldon\u2019s dedication to healing goes beyond the outdoors and extends to patients themselves. He coordinated weekly flower donations from local florists, organized\u00a0volunteers to create bouquets with them, and then he and his wife Patsy often spent weekends delivering them, and a smile, to patients in our facilities.<\/p>\n 4. Using his talent to help.<\/strong> As a master designer at the Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Festival of Trees for almost 30 years, he used his talents to create elaborate trees that never failed to elicit a smile. He still holds the designer record for the most money raised in a single year.<\/p>\n