John and Lucy Jinishian, a couple dedicated to restoring the tree canopy in their Marvin Beach neighborhood, have been named the 2016 Tree Advocates of the Year by the Norwalk Tree Alliance.
John is 95. Lacy won’t disclose her age, admitting only that she is younger than her husband. They are to be officially recognized--and presented with a plaque--at the 10th Annual Connecticut Tree Festival May 21 in Cranbury Park, a free family-oriented outing that runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.
In a community of 125 homes on the eastern shoreline of Norwalk Harbor, the Jinishians work as a team, even going door-to-door, diplomatically prodding their neighbors to plant trees provided at no charge by Norwalk’ public works department. Over the last five years they have arranged for at least 65 trees to be strategically added—away from telephone and power lines- to the front yards of the neighborhood, species like dogwoods, crabapples, lindens and sugar maples, resistant to the salt air and otherwise adaptable to the environment. Only one homeowner has been absolutely opposed. “But I’m still working on him,” reports John.
The Jinishians are the first co-winners of the Norwalk Tree Alliance Award. They resettled in Marvin Beach seven years ago after 50 years in Greenwich where Lucy headed the Shellfish Commission for 20 years and was co-founder of the Greenwich Environmental Action Group. John is a retired sales and marketing executive. They have four children and five grandchildren. Everything at the festival is free, admission, parking, chances on door prizes, even picnic-style lunch for everybody. Exhibitors pay nothing for space or their booths, nor are they permitted to sell products or services on the property. Upwards of 40 of them line the park’s Great Lawn, drawing more than 2,000 festival-goers when the weather is pleasant.