Arboretum and Public Garden receives largest gift in 90-year history
$3.7 million to support students in award-winning Learning by Leading program
Throughout Cate McGuire's childhood, her mother kept pruning shears in the car.
If they happened to pass a particularly beautiful geranium while driving through town, she would sometimes ask young Cate to hop out and snip a small cutting. Back home, the family would propagate the plant and add it to an ever-growing collection of unusual geraniums.
Long before she became a scientist, mentor and supporter of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, Cate was already learning an important lesson: small things, given the chance to grow, can have a lasting impact.
About the gift
Today, Cate's legacy continues to grow through a transformational $3.7 million gift she and her husband, Michael Smith, established to support the Arboretum and Public Garden's Learning by Leading™ program. As the largest gift in the Arboretum and Public Garden's 90-year history, it represents a powerful investment in the next generation of environmental leaders. Three-quarters of the gift provides immediate support for student opportunities, while the remaining quarter has established an endowment to help sustain the program for generations to come.
For Michael, supporting Learning by Leading is a way of honoring Cate's memory while investing in the next generation of environmental leaders.
“One of the things Cate used to talk about was how grateful she felt to get to do as a career the kinds of things she truly loved,” he said. “I think she wanted students to have opportunities to discover that for themselves.”
Arboretum connection
After earning a degree in anthropology from UC Santa Cruz, Cate moved to Davis and eventually returned to UC Davis to study plant sciences. As a post-graduate student, she began working with former Arboretum Superintendent Warren Roberts, propagating plants for the gardens and plant sale fundraisers.
Roberts remembers her as someone who seemed perfectly at home among plants from the beginning.
"She was skillful right away,” he said. “I remember her smile, her laugh and her can-do attitude.”
The two shared roots in Monterey County and often reminisced about the Salinas area where Cate grew up.
“I never knew anyone like her,” Roberts said. “She was radiant.”
Career and philanthropic passions
The Arboretum remained an important part of Cate's life long after those early years. She went on to build a successful career in plant science and agricultural biotechnology, managing greenhouse operations, crop production and field trials. Colleagues remember her not only for her technical expertise, but also for her generosity, curiosity and commitment to helping others succeed.
“What stood out about Cate wasn't just her expertise,” said longtime colleague and friend Kendra Williams. “She was always teaching, encouraging and connecting people with opportunities. She wanted everyone around her to thrive.”
As the oldest of seven children, mentoring came naturally to Cate. Whether she was helping coworkers, friends or family members, she loved sharing knowledge and encouraging people to pursue their interests. One of the clearest expressions of those values came after retirement, when Cate became the lead volunteer at the Harper Junior High School garden in Davis.
What began as a small, weedy plot evolved into a thriving educational garden filled with vegetables, fruit trees, flowering borders, pollinator habitat, native plants and a beloved strawberry patch that became a favorite among students.
“When Cate took over, she said, ‘We can't just grow vegetables,’” Michael recalled.
Under her leadership, the garden expanded dramatically and became a vibrant outdoor classroom where students could learn by digging, planting, observing and exploring. It reflected something Cate believed deeply: meaningful learning happens through experience. That belief is one reason Learning by Leading resonated so strongly with her.
Leadership support
The Arboretum and Public Garden's nationally recognized program gives students opportunities to gain hands-on leadership experience while caring for landscapes, restoring habitat, growing plants and engaging communities alongside professional mentors.
“Cate understood the power of hands-on learning,” said Carmia Feldman, director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. “Because of this gift, more students will have opportunities to learn, lead and grow through experiences that can shape their futures.”
Michael sees clear parallels between the program and the experiences that shaped Cate's own life. At a time when opportunities for women in plant science were more limited than they are today, Cate felt fortunate to build a career doing work she genuinely loved.
“She wanted the gift to make a real difference,” Michael said. “Not just disappear into something general. She wanted it to help students directly.”
Although Michael initially hoped to keep their philanthropy anonymous, he said sharing Cate's story now, following her passing, feels worthwhile if it inspires others to give. Like the geranium cuttings she collected as a child, her influence continues to take root—in the gardens she helped shape, the people she mentored and, through this gift, the students who will discover their own passions, become leaders and carry her spirit of generosity and curiosity into the future.
The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden offers many ways to give, each helping shape a greener, more inspiring future for students and the community. To learn more about these opportunities, visit our give page or contact Christen Brunner, assistant director of development at [email protected] or 530-304-5948.