Nora O’Bryne, Assistant Features Editor


A severe snowstorm Jan. 24-25 meant classes were cancelled Jan. 26 for Denison students, but for senior groundskeeper Ann Cherry, round the clock shifts and constant snow plowing was far from a day off.  

“All you did was plow, and you never felt you were doing anything,” Cherry said. “It just kept going.” 

Denison’s groundskeeping team braved the snowy conditions starting as early as 1 a.m., all in the effort to keep campus walkable for students. 

“I’ve just been going around trying to figure out places we missed, but we always try to have something open,” Cherry said. “And now we just try to make the paths bigger and get it under control.” 

Because one historically massive snowstorm isn’t enough, another two snowstorms are expected for the coming weekend. 

“The weather goes up, which is good, but it looks like we’re gonna have some cold weather again. February’s just gonna keep this going.” 

The total snowfall accumulated to a foot over the course of the weekend, a number Cherry said felt like much more behind the plow.  

“Some places seem like there was a heck of a lot more than what they said, but you know, there was a good 12 inches, that’s for sure,” said Cherry. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  

A number of challenges arise when groundskeeping in the winter. For Cherry, dealing with broken machinery among endless snow was the cherry on top of an already difficult season. 

“Our John Deere is a little thing that broke, so we didn’t have that smaller plow in places to do the ADA places,” Cherry said. “We have really big plows, so we needed a medium class. So, it’s getting fixed and we hope to have it back next week.” 

In the warmer seasons, much of Cherry’s job as a groundskeeper is the maintenance of plants on campus. While subzero conditions make it difficult for plants to survive, Cherry looks forward to a blooming spring on the Hill.  

“I spent a majority of January designing the beds,” Cherry said. “It just gets you excited for spring, and now you just got to wait a couple months.” 

When designing floral areas on campus, the groundskeeping makes an effort to take a different approach than the prior year. Despite the changes, Cherry said one thing will stay consistent. 

“Everybody loves the pollinators. They love watching the butterflies. So, we try to make sure that they have enough of those plants to attract the things people like to look at.” 

Cherry started at Denison 15  years ago as a gardener at the president’s house. When President Weinberg implemented campus horticulturists, Cherry made the transition to groundskeeping.  

“The first winter was another one like this. I just got my little John Deere, and that was wonderful,” Cherry said. “We had just hired Gram, who still works here. The day he started we had not one snowstorm but small ones every day. He jokes about it- he goes, ‘I started and then, “Here’s your plow truck!””  

Outside of Denison, Cherry spends much of her time with her grandkids outside, whether it’s hiking, camping, bottle digging along creeks, or repelling 100 feet off the side of a cliff. 

“I try to keep up with the grandkids,” Cherry said with a laugh.  

Above all, Cherry’s favorite aspect of the job is keeping Denisonians happy. 

“As long as the kids are happy. I like planting, it’s just a great job.”