Roland Jefferson
September 3, 1923 – November 27, 2020
The initial African-American to be employed as a botanist at the United States National Arboretum.
Roland Maurice Jefferson, born on September 3, 1923, was an accomplished American botanist with a significant impact on horticulture and the preservation of cherry trees in Washington, D.C. He held the distinction of being the first African-American botanist employed by the United States National Arboretum, where he dedicated over three decades of his career from 1956 to 1987.
Early Life and Education: Roland Maurice Jefferson, born in Washington, D.C., was an only child to parents Edward Wilson Jefferson and Bernice Cornelia Bond. His educational journey included attending Dunbar High School and later serving as a US Army airman during World War II. Jefferson took advantage of the GI Bill to pursue higher education and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in botany from Howard University in 1950. Despite his academic qualifications, he initially struggled to find a job that matched his professional skills and even considered dental school. However, his career path took a significant turn when he secured a position at the US National Arboretum in 1956.
Scientific Career: Jefferson’s botanical career flourished at the US National Arboretum, where he quickly made valuable contributions. Notably, he introduced an innovative method for labeling plants, replacing the Arboretum’s deteriorating plastic labels with durable metal ones. In 1957, he achieved the status of botanist, becoming the first African American to attain this position at the Arboretum.
One of Jefferson’s notable areas of expertise was crab apple trees, leading him to publish a book on the subject in 1970. However, his most renowned work revolved around the Japanese blossoming cherry trees planted in Washington, D.C.’s West Potomac Park in the early 1900s.
First Lady Helen Taft had planted ninety of these cherry trees in 1909, and Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki gifted an additional 1,800 Japanese cherry trees to the United States in 1912, symbolizing friendship between the two nations. Observing the decline of the original cherry trees, Jefferson took action by propagating over one hundred trees between 1976 and 1979, playing a pivotal role in preserving D.C.’s iconic cherry blossoms.
In 1981, First Lady Nancy Reagan presented one of Jefferson’s cherry trees to Japan, where it was named the President Reagan Cherry Tree and planted in Tokyo’s Toneri Park. His efforts extended globally when he launched an international seed exchange program in 1982. Japanese schoolchildren collected half a million Japanese cherry seeds, and in return, American dogwood seeds were sent to Japan. Jefferson’s travels took him to Europe, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan to collect specimens and seeds, enhancing the genetic diversity and resilience of American cherry trees.
In 1984, responding to the need for hardier cherry trees, Jefferson sent twenty-four seedlings grown from cherry seeds collected in Hokkaido to the Japanese Garden at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota. This resilient varietal, capable of withstanding frigid temperatures, is now cultivated nationwide.
Jefferson’s dedication to cherry trees extended to reorganizing flowering cherries into botanical categories called Yama-zakura (wild “mountain cherries”) and Sato-zakura (cultivated “village cherries”) in the early 1980s. This work was published in 1984.
In the 1990s, Jefferson made significant contributions by donating his personal papers to the National Arboretum’s library and archives, with additional donations in 2006.
Personal Life: Following his retirement in 1987, Roland Maurice Jefferson lived in Japan from 1987 to 1998. Over the years, he resided in various locations, including Seattle, Washington, in 1999, and Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2012.
During a plant collecting trip to Japan, Jefferson met Keiko Ishisaki, whom he married in 1983. Sadly, Keiko Ishisaki passed away in Honolulu on September 11, 2014, at the age of 81.
Publications: Jefferson’s contributions to botanical research are reflected in his published works:
- “The Nomenclature of Cultivated Japanese Flowering Cherries (Prunus): The Sato-zakura Group” (1984).
- “The Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees of Washington, D.C.: A Living Symbol of Friendship” (1977).
- “History, Progeny, and Locations of Crabapples of Documented Authentic Origin” (1970).
References: The information about Roland Maurice Jefferson’s life and career is based on various sources. If you need detailed summaries of these references, please let me know, and I can provide further information.