COLONIE — Phil Calderone called Judy Stacey with an offer she couldn’t refuse.
The CEO of the Albany International Airport and former deputy of mayor of Albany wanted to bring Stacey, former city gardener of Albany, out of retirement.
Stacey was the beloved, longtime “tulip queen” of the capital city during Jerry Jennings’ administration. She transformed weedy, derelict roadway medians into horticultural showcases across the city. Each year, she planted more than 200,000 tulip bulbs citywide — nearly half of them in Washington Park as the spectacular centerpiece of Albany’s heralded Tulip Festival.
After stepping down in 2011 following 13 years as city gardener, Stacey, 74, a grandmother of two, was happy puttering along on a home renovation and working when she wanted to as a gardener-for-hire for private clients. Then Calderone called, dangling an opportunity to put her green thumb to the test on the blank slate of the airport’s grassy entryways and acres of concrete parking garages, sprawling pavement and the terminal’s lengthy portico.
Stacey, a master gardener certified by Cornell Cooperative Extension, was intrigued. It was an enticing chance for a return to her glory days of cultivating many varieties of colorful, healthy and vibrant flowers seen and appreciated by tens of thousands of people. In local gardening circles, it would be a bit like Michael Jordan coming out of retirement.
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