Dr. Grittinger the ‘real-life Lorax’ commemorated with a bookworm garden

SHEBOYGAN (CBS58) -- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, 51 years later, continues speaking for the trees. But the fictional character came to life through a Wisconsin man with the same love and passion for nature. Dr. Thomas Grittinger was a professor at UW-Sheboygan, zoology, anatomy, physiology, and several ecology classes.

In the 15th year of the Bookworm Gardens, a garden commemorating Dr. Grittinger and his love of nature was made.

“From the rippulous pond came the comfortable sound of the Humming-Fish humming and splashing around. But those trees! Those trees! Those truffula trees! All my life I've been searching for trees such as these,” read Dr. Grittinger’s wife Ann, from the book The Lorax.

In the garden, one will see Truffula trees… or at least, as close as you can get to the fictional tree. In fact, they’re Arborvitae Thuja Occidentalis, otherwise known as Yellow Ribbon, according to Bookworm Gardens Executive Director Elizabeth Wieland, for one of the bookworm garden's 83 stories.

“It’s a formative experience in childhood. To get to experience spaces, physical spaces that show the story and allow you, whether you're an adult or child, to immerse yourself in it to be a part of that story is really special, it just touches people.”

In the six months the garden is open to the public, they expect over 80,000 people, and that number grows each year, said Wieland. Some of those walking the gardens were eight-year-olds Colton and Chloe who explained why they loved the concept, especially The Lorax garden, “normally when you see a book that’s not like true it doesn’t really come to life and you don’t get to see it in life, and in this book you really did.”

Families can walk around and pick their own books, getting to sit in near replicas of the pages.

When it comes to the newest garden, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Weiland said, “this book in particular, you're meant to be walking through the story. Start off on the street of the lifted Lorax, walking through the griple grass, you see the Lorax come out of the stump, and then you end talking to The Once-ler and standing on the unless circle.”

Dr. Thomas Grittinger received The Lorax Award in 2010. Part of the inscription reads, “you are the Lorax of UW-Sheboygan, and you truly speak for the trees. You have planted the seeds of environmental awareness and appreciation with UW Sheboygan faculty, staff, students and community. The seed will grow, thrive and others will step forward to speak for the trees for years to come.”

Ann shared that her husband was beyond thrilled to have been awarded such a title: “you couldn't have given him the nobel prize or any other award that would've meant more. He had it in his office, and he displayed it prominently. He was very proud of getting that award that was recognized for all those years of planting trees.”

When asked how many trees he planted, she responded, “can you count the stars in the sky?”

Dr. Grittinger passed away in February of 2023 at 89 years old. But, his impact, like the many trees he planted, still stands tall.

“The Lorax basically is what Tom's preached all his life. Unless we truly are, truly--take care of the land, it'll be gone. If we cut down the trees whether it’s truffula trees or anything else, there are consequences for that. One thing affects another. He’s always talked about wanting people to appreciate the land to take care of it. We‘re here for a brief time, we plant for our kids and great-grandchildren” said Ann.

Students often were brought to where the bookworm gardens now stand, helping in their creation, said Wieland. “Dr. Grittinger cared much about it, he was really a partner… talking about the trees, how to protect them, highlight them, design around them so they can continue to thrive with botanic gardens surrounding them.” “He was so impactful and wonderful and now he gets to have this legacy continue in this space,” she continued.

After his passing, Ann and her children knew exactly how they wanted to honor him: “everybody was in agreement, The Lorax was it. One of my children thinks The Lorax was his 5th gospel according to their father. It’s just the perfect place.”

The perfect place with details to match, where visitors can see and even peek inside the Once-ler's house, see him making thneeds, look up to a pail, try to find fifteen cents and a nail. These are all elements of the beloved Dr. Seuss book, carefully built into the scene.

Ann said they frequently read The Lorax as a bedtime story for their kids when they were younger, “I love it and there's just so many lessons in it. The illustrations are wonderful and some kids only know it from the movie. I’m hoping they’ll take time to sit on the bench and read a book while they’re here or check it out at the library.”

As we asked Ann to read a page from the book while sitting on a bench, a group of kids immediately sat around her, and listened to her read the famous lines, and carry on her husband's and The Lorax’s message, “The word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Dr. Grittinger's legacy was planting seeds in a garden he never got to see. Ann shared seeing so many people in the garden, remembering what he did “warms my heart. I keep thinking he’s got to be smiling down and looking at this and thinking, yes you did a good job.”

“That was his passion, teaching and helping other people become aware and sharing that. So if families that come in here and see this are reminded of that lesson, go back and read the book and then, oh I can do that.”

The Bookworm Gardens are located at 1415 Campus Drive Sheboygan, WI 53081 open from May 1 - October 31.