A native of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Sylvin Bilsky moved to California in 1933 to enroll at the University of California, Davis. He later attended UCLA, where he majored in subtropical horticulture and in June 1937 earned a bachelor's degree. On April 14, 1938, Sylvin married Elsie Rothman, a social worker and ardent lover of nature.
Elsie, who had been a student at USC, delighted in her early introduction to UCLA's botanical garden. She loved plants and enjoyed learning the names of the trees and shrubs she encountered whenever she found time to meander through the garden. Three Bilsky children--Deborah, Abigail, and Rebecca--were raised in Santa Monica and attended the University Elementary Training School on the UCLA campus. For Elsie, the botanical garden provided a place for contemplation and rest in her busy life as a working mother, and she and Sylvin spent many happy hours there.
Elsie died on November 21, 1975. For her memorial service on December 25, Sylvin prepared the following statement: "In Elsie's memory a group of benches will be donated and placed in the botanical gardens of the University of California at Los Angeles among the trees and shrubs, things green and growing, that gave Elsie so much pleasure." In March 1976, six benches made of cast concrete with fine river-washed stones were placed throughout the garden. Sited at points where the garden's quiet and natural beauty can be most readily appreciated, the benches have provided havens of rest and relaxation for garden visitors ever since.
C. Arthur Schroeder
UCLA Professor Emeritus of Botany