From chief of traffic signals and signs to volunteer tram driver and guide at Fairchild Tropical Garden

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Jan 2001

"But I only know the difference between trees and grass!" was Sheldon "Shelly" Pivnik's, P.E. (FL), response to a suggestion that he become a volunteer tram driver and guide at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Coral Gables (Miami), FL, USA. Director of Volunteer Services Arlene Ferris persisted, explaining that he would be fully trained before setting out with his first tram, full of Garden visitors.

Shelly had just retired as Miami-Dade County's Chief of the Traffic Signals and Signs Division when a newspaper ad for Fairchild volunteers caught his eye, and he was soon on his way to the Garden. Today he is an enthusiastic advocate for Fairchild and enjoys sharing his knowledge of tropical plants, rainforest ecology and wildlife with visitors. His desire to learn everything about tropical plants extended beyond taking every class offered to the volunteers; soon he was researching the plants he described on his tours so he could pass on even more information to his passengers. Now his knowledge is so extensive that people who take his tours ask if he is a trained botanist.

His decision to become part of the Garden's volunteer corps was a natural one for this Brooklyn native who had been a frequent visitor to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and who believes in giving back to the community. Before moving to Florida in 1971 to supervise the development of a computerized traffic signal system, he volunteered with a rescue squad in New Jersey. In Florida he has volunteered with Miami Children's Hospital's Radio Lollipop, is now secretary of the Homestead Rodeo Association and is a former member of ITE's International Board of Direction.

Shelly's volunteer efforts at the Garden are not limited to the tram. Each year, he appears at the Ramble, South Florida's best-loved festival, as Shelly the Clown, making balloon animals, putting on a magic show and entertaining the children who line up to meet this friendly clown. A graduate of clown school, he only performs for non-profit organizations.

Like many of the Garden's volunteers, Shelly is a busy person. He draws on his background as a professional engineer and licensed attorney for consulting work and testifies as an expert witness in the area of traffic accidents. He is an amateur radio operator (call sign: WB4VZX), plays tennis, scuba dives and travels extensively. He and his wife, Carole, a volunteer in the Herbarium, visited the Amazon rainforest this fall, drawn by their interest in tropical plants and, particularly, in rainforests.

Each week Shelly drives the tram on two shifts and wishes he could fit in a third. He enjoys meeting visitors and sharing the tropical splendor of Fairchild with them. He particularly likes the opportunity for one-on-one chats with the visitors before and after his tours. Upon hearing his accent, many comment that he cannot possibly be from the South. His response? "Oh, yes, I'm from the South-South Brooklyn." He also enjoys the ready acceptance of the staff, who asked him to be the Santa Claus at the staff Christmas party. "I knew then that they liked me as much as I liked them," he said.

Text and photos reprinted with permission from "Volunteer Spotlight on Sheldon Pivnik" in Garden Views, September 2000, p. 10.