John G. Borin papers

John G. Borin (1905-1993) was born and raised in Center Moriches, Long Island, New York. He began working for the New York Botanical Garden in 1923 as an apprentice gardener generating plant labels in the propagating conservatory. In 1932, Borin was one of the first students to be admitted to The School of Professional Horticulture at the Garden. He left the NYBG in May of 1943 to enter the United States Navy where he served as a "radar man" in the Pacific, earning a total of 11 Bronze Stars. He returned to the NYBG in 1946 and was promoted to the position of Foreman Gardener in charge of the Propagating Greenhouse Range. Finally, he was appointed to the position of Forman of Gardeners in charge of the Main Conservatory Range in December of 1959, a position he maintained until his retirement in March of 1972.

As evidenced in his collection, Borin spent a considerable amount of time traveling to many countries throughout the world from the South Pacific to Northern Africa and numerous places in between. He was married to Margaret in January of 1932. It is unclear, but she may have passed away sometime after 1957. It also appears that Borin remarried in May of 1961 to his second wife Louise.