Judy’s tree

 Judy's Tree

I have written of Judy's Tree before. Today I took a twenty mile bicycle ride into the Osceola National Forest via the old Still Road, stopping to pay respect to the Judy Tree along NFR 278 or now McColsky Avenue. And who you say, was Judy? Judith Hancock in 1979 became one of most ardent friends of the environment when the DOT cut down a legacy oak tree by Popeye's chicken in Lake City for the widening of US90. "It was a really big, nice old oak tree, and I was incensed, absolutely incensed, because they could have avoided it," she said. "I joined the garden club and fought it, put nasty signs up and tied yellow ribbons around it, but they eventually cut it down." At the suggestion of a Garden Club member, Judy joined the Audubon Society, and the rest, as they say, was history. Judy passed away from cancer on June 28, 2004 at the age of 65, with the Osceola and Florida losing an ardent, tireless defender of things wild.

Several years ago, Steve Williams, a fellow Audubon member and long time friend of Judy and I placed this plaque in the crooked pine Judy when living always would point out as we passed, as her tree.