Photo: UW-Extension Community Gardens & Micro-Farms
UW-Extension micro-farm
One of the most exciting aspects of Milwaukee in the 21st century has been the emergence of the city as a leader in the field of urban agriculture. The success of Growing Power founder Will Allen—who was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2008—inspired a series of urban farming efforts across the city. Organizations like Walnut Way Conservation Corp., Groundwork Milwaukee, Victory Garden Initiative and Alice’s Garden all continue to push the field of urban growing in new and exciting directions.
It is not an overstatement to say that none of this work would have been possible without the earlier efforts of Dennis Lukaszewski. Lukaszewski, who passed away on Jan. 9, 2022, was a true pioneer in the fields of urban agriculture and community gardening. For over 30 years, his work with the University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) system provided the support—both intellectual and material—necessary to make Milwaukee a welcoming place for those attempting to grow food in the city.
Lukaszewski was a rare breed: a brilliant visionary with a mean practical streak. He was also a natural teacher, someone who took great joy in showing someone how to get something done. As Dave Boucher, co-owner of Amaranth Bakery and urban agriculture practitioner, recalls, “One of the primary lessons Dennis etched in my mind was his wish to empower others. Dennis frequently said, ‘Dave, as I’m circling the drain, the best I can do is transfer my knowledge and abilities to the next generation, since I won’t be able to do this forever’.”
Lukaszewski was a Milwaukeean through and through. He grew up on the city’s South Side, on a small farm at 15th and Layton. In 1955, he got involved with 4-H; by 1975 he was a leader within the organization. Lukaszewski would go on to earn a B.S. in Biological Aspects of Conservation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At UWM, he also reconnected with Barbara Rezell, who had met previously through 4-H. They would marry soon after.
After graduating from UWM, Lukaszewski took a job managing the biology research greenhouse at Marquette University—a position he held for 17 years. While at Marquette, Lukaszewski also managed to start a landscaping firm, open a series of flower shops, and obtain landscape architect license. “You know Dennis had a lot of energy,” notes Barbara Lukaszewski. Anyone who ever met Dennis knew that was certainly the case.
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By the end of the 1980s the Marquette biology research greenhouse was being phased out of the university’s budget. In 1990, Melinda Myers—then working with UWEX—offered Lukaszewski a job answering phones for Extension’s horticulture hotline. He was soon assisting on a variety of projects and, in the process, beginning to meet and collaborate with others interested in such work. As former UWEX co-worker Jan Alba recalls, “networking to him was very important.” Lukaszewski relied upon these networks as UWEX Urban Agriculture Educator and Community Gardens Director, positions he would hold throughout his career.
It would be next to impossible to catalog all the work Lukaszewski did with UWEX. Over the past three decades, he was integral in getting hundreds of urban growing spaces established across the metropolitan region. He also worked to set up networks to support such endeavors, from the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network (MUAN) to the Institute for Urban Agriculture and Nutrition (IUAN). Perhaps most importantly, Dennis engaged with several diverse populations across the city. He worked closely with Native Americans, Hmong Americans, veterans, assisted living home residents and incarcerated individuals throughout his career.
To Lisa Curley, Lukaszewski’s daughter, this approach to “community building” was integral to her father’s mission: he was “always taking the time to learn about other people and other things.”
Not surprisingly, Lukaszewski inspired those who partnered with him (myself included). As UWEX Community Youth Development Coordinator Leslie Quevedo notes, “Dennis was an inspiration; he had this magical way of turning, what seemed to me, a logistically overwhelming project into a simple step-by-step process and secured the funding along the way.” At UWEX’s Kohl Farm, a large-scale community garden on the city’s northwest side, Lukaszewski made sure that ample space was provided for youth programming. With such generosity in mind, Quevado notes that “I am heartbroken by the loss of my colleague, partner in dreams, and friend—and so very thankful for the time I shared with Dennis and all that I learned from him.”
Many in the city do not know of Lukaszewski’s work because of his willingness to share credit with other partners. To Sweet Water Organics urban farm co-founder James Godsil, Lukaszewski was “modest to a fault.” Yet those who truly understand the history of urban agriculture in Milwaukee—and those who understood Lukaszewski’s place in that history—know just how important Dennis was to the evolution of the field.
“Dennis used his tremendous knowledge to help people of all ages in all communities throughout his career,” remembers Will Allen. “His legacy of teaching people to grow good healthy food will last forever.” He will be missed.
