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Gardener John Sauer is retiring – sort of.

A University of Virginia groundsman, Sauer is stepping down after 50 years. But he and his wife, Cathy Clary, will remain on Grounds as fellows at Brown Residential College.

Raised in Richmond, Sauer first came to Charlottesville in 1971 to work construction.

“The bottom fell out and I came to the University in 1974,” he said. “They put me on a crew with ‘the Weedettes,’ a gaggle of four or five coeds who worked pulling weeds. At the end of the day I told myself, ‘This ain’t workin’!’”

Groundsman John Sauer stands at a bench, sheltering beneath the magnolia near the Rotunda. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Sauer shifted to several other jobs, including gardening at the president’s official residence.

“I was their yardman at Carr’s Hill, and then the gardener,” Sauer said. “I became part of the family for each family that I served. I’ve worked for four presidents, and when President Terry Sullivan left, I came up to Monroe Hill.”

Sauer learned much of his trade from his boss, John Roberts.

“He had that strong work ethic and taught me to appreciate my work,” Sauer said. “He gave me a sense of duty and let me know the place better.”

He also learned from Anne Hereford, wife of former University President Frank Hereford, who wanted gardens at Carr’s Hill.

“She mentored me,” Sauer said. “I had no idea what I was doing, but she was very patient with me. We had rose gardens and our roses were on Queen Elizabeth’s table in the Rotunda during the bicentennial (in 1976).

“It’s been a privileged position,” he said, noting that it allowed him to meet many people, including Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, with whom he chatted one morning. “You meet people from all over the world, and they are just part of your surroundings. I’ve met the very highest and the very lowest in the whole chain of command, and all of them have been characters. Everybody’s got a story.”