Welcome to Buz’s Blog!

I am excited to start one of Maymont’s first blogs.  I started working for Maymont just over a year ago and I’m eager to tell people about all the wonderful things we do.  As the Director of Habitats and the Nature Center at Maymont, I get asked lots of questions about the animals.  Buz’s Blog will give me an opportunity to tell you some stories about Maymont’s creatures, chronicle the activities of the Habitats Team and keep you up to date on what is happening at the Nature Center, the Children’s Farm and the Native Virginia Wildlife Habitats.  You’ll learn about the amazing work of our staff, we’ll share wacky animal facts, tell you about some magnificent friends of the animals and much, much more.   If it deals with fins, fur and feathers (and scales too), then you will find it here and I bet there will even be some surprises along the way. 

If you’d like to learn more about me, click on the “About” tab of this blog.  Otherwise, here is an answer to a common question, “Why do people call you Buz?”  Is it my real name?  Was I named after Buzz Lightyear?  Do I drink high energy drinks with lots of caffeine?  The answer to all of those questions are no, but there is a story or two behind my nickname.

I’ve been told that I’m constantly buzzing around with a great deal of activity so many people naturally assume that my nickname comes from the honeybee.  While I do like honeybees (enough to put them on the header of this blog) and I’ve heard my lovely wife call me “sweet,” bees and honey are not the origin of my nickname.  Using a long tradition, my mother and father bestowed both a given name and a nickname on me at birth.  For my given name, they chose the name Henry, like the three Henrys before me.  Also somewhat of a tradition, many males born into our family were given nicknames that start with the letter B.  I don’t know if there was any particular fascination with this letter, but it certainly was easier at family outings to answer to Buz, instead of Henry.  My father (Henry III) was nicknamed Butch and my uncle was nicknamed Buck. 

So why was Buz chosen over other interesting names like Brent, Bono or Bubba (none of which were actual choices)?  I’m told that my parents talked about my nickname for quite a while before I was born.  They finally decided on a name one week before my birth while watching Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men in history to set foot on the moon.  My father admired “Buzz” Aldrin’s military background, courage and astonishing accomplishments and his nickname fit our tradition well.  As I understand, my father insisted on making my name even more distinctive by dropping one of the Zs. 

Does anyone else out there have a story behind your nickname?  If it’s clean, please share.  Remember, this is a family-friendly blog.

Thanks for visiting and check back often for your personal glimpse into our world.

All the best!