Along with Wellesley’s schools, proximity to Boston, and other features that people cite for loving Wellesley, is how pretty it is here. Cricket Vlass, whose retirement after 40-plus years working for the town was celebrated this week at Clocktower Park (aka, Elm Park), has had a lot to do with making and keeping Wellesley beautiful.
Department of Public Works Director Dave Cohen says Vlass started with the town as summer help in 1980, and was brought on full time in 1982. She was promoted to horticulturist in 1984, and later took on the position of landscape planner for many years. Vlass had two stints as interim Park & Tree assistant superintendent before being selected as Park & Tree superintendent in 2023.
Cohen’s comments at the celebration focused on his “appreciation for the professionalism, responsiveness, optimism, and kindness that she has brought to the Town of Wellesley for over 40 years. I also mentioned that we see her fingerprints all over town through the beautiful landscapes and green spaces that are enjoyed by so many people every day.”
Wellesley’s Raina McManus, a former Natural Resources Commission member, says of Vlass: “She had a hand in designing almost every garden and park, situated each bench and plaque, and made sure things fit seamlessly and beautifully into their surroundings, including the stunning labyrinth at Elm Park.”
Over the years, Vlass helped the DPW and NRC plant over 5,000 trees, advanced Wellesley’s pesticide free parklands, and was an early adopter of native planting, McManus says. “She had the best eye and taste. Wellesley will miss her, but her legacy will remain everywhere we look,” she says
Vlass was celebrated at the event by past and present colleagues, plus friends, and her husband. Tory DeFazio, representing Wellesley veterans, presented Vlass with a U.S. flag in recognition of her support of the many flags around town.
Vlass officially retires in July.
More: Cricket Vlass pays call to Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild (2018)
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I am sorry to hear that Cricket is retiring and wish her the best. The Town is a better place for her many years of dedicated service. She was a great resource for choices in landscape material used for all the new schools I worked on over the years. In addition, she was so helpful on a recent Memorial bench project at the gravel pit at MOPO, suggesting both the location and the use of a natural stone as a bench.