In Memoriam: Naugatuck Valley Community College Mourns Professor Eugene Wisniewski

NVCC celebrated the ribbon cutting of its new 6,000-square-foot Greenhouse facility on Friday, October 16. From L to R: Eugene Wisniewski, professor of horticulture; Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., president of NVCC; Waldemar Kostrzewa, dean of community engagement; Paula Massey, president, Student Government Association; James Troup, dean of administration; Robert Herman, instructor of horticulture; Bonnie Simon, division director of the math and sciences division.

Waterbury, Conn. – Naugatuck Valley Community College professor Eugene Wisniewski, 62 of Watertown, died unexpectedly on Saturday. Friends, family and community members are invited to attend an on-campus remembrance on Wednesday, October 28, from 4-5:00 pm in Room L501 of the NVCC Learning Resources Center .

Wisniewski, or Professor W as students endearingly called him, was hired as an adjunct instructor of horticulture in 1986 and then as a full-time associate professor and the program’s coordinator in 1999. During his tenure, he helped the program get accredited by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America and become the first in Connecticut to be accredited by Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the nation’s largest trade association for landscape professionals.

“My heart goes out to the student body and to all members of our community whose lives Gene’s work has touched,” said Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., president of NVCC. “Colleges are nothing without the intelligence, generosity and love of their faculty, whose vision brings the kind of progress that is exemplified by our horticulture program. Professor Wisniewski’s affection for his work and his students is very palpable to me and to everyone who knows him.”

In addition to bringing accreditation, Wisniewski helped organize a transfer agreement between NVCC and the University of Connecticut, the state’s only other horticulture program. He helped the College reap the benefits of a beautification project, in which the Connecticut Nursery and Landscapers Association and Connecticut Greenhouse Grower’s Association planted more than $40,000 worth of plant life on the campus. On October 16, Wisniewski presided over the ribbon cutting for a new 6,000-square-foot greenhouse as part of the larger Technology Hall project.

“Gene spearheaded the design and construction of the new greenhouse,” said Bonnie Simon, director of the math and science division. “He got to see his dream come true. The building is bigger, better and more modern than either of us ever dreamed of.”

Wisniewski has an associate degree in horticulture from S.U.N.Y., Cobleskill, and a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Rhode Island. He also earned a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Central Connecticut State University. Prior to teaching full-time at NVCC, Wisniewski taught for twenty-eight years at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury.