Dale Puisto

Dale Puisto created the Catherine A.W Puisto Scholarship award in honor of his wife. Catherine graduated from CALS in 1977 with a degree in Horticulture. Catherine was keenly aware focused on environmental issues of the day. She used her degree to lead a challenge of creating and passing a recycling program for the Town of Bloomimg Grove WI. She was very creative in her vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Her fun domain was the kitchen. She had a long career working for the State of Wisconsin as a IT project manager and supervisor. Dale and Catherine’s family were inspired to create this scholarship in her name because she meant so much to so many people. She was a loving, kind person who helped her family, friends and the community at large. Catherine inspired a love of nature to a very high level with incredible gardens at her house. To be able to support the next generation of horticulturalists, to in similar way, go forward and inspire others in the broader community means the world to Catherine’s family.

The recipient of this scholarship should know that it honors the most beautiful soul—someone who genuinely cared about making this planet more beautiful, both by touching the lives of those around her and through her gardens. Catherine was the most caring woman you could ever meet. She cared deeply for her husband, her sons, her granddaughter, her whole family, and all of her friends. So it was only natural for her to extend that same care to the earth. Whenever her granddaughter sees a beautiful flower, she talks about her “Oma,” because even at the young age of 2, when Catherine passed, she remembers helping her in the garden and being in awe of her gorgeous flowers and delicious vegetables