Those memories returned this week when I received an e-mail from Margarita Villasenor-deLara, one of Miguel's daughters, who now lives in Florida. Margarita sadly informed me that Miguel (who retired in 1991) passed away recently after a courageous battle with cancer. Margarita recalled the day her father came home from work after my interview with him.
"He had come home from work and was so proud," Margarita wrote me. "He said to my mother and I, 'Girls, I just had an interview with a nice man about my ivy (notice he called it 'my ivy.') I can't believe someone was interested in what I do. It's always been important to me, but I never thought about just how fascinated and interested others are in my job as well. I do it because it's my life, my passion, not a job."
And that's precisely the sentiment I took home from my interview with Miguel. The ivy-covered wall was more than just ivy. Wrigley Field was his life, his adoration, and always would be.
Miguel would hand trim the ivy-covered walls every time the Cubs would go on the road during the season. It would take him more than two days to complete. "My boss would ask me whether I wanted a power clipper," he said at the time. "I say, 'No. It might be faster, but hand trimming keeps the ivy from getting ragged-edged cuts. I also enjoy hand cutting."
As far as new ivy plants were concerned, Miguel didn't need a fancy greenhouse to cultivate cuttings. Instead, he had a much simpler way of handling new ivy cuttings. "Whenever I prune, I stick a few cuttings into the dirt at the base of the wall. The ivy is very easy to root. Usually there're new plants coming in somewhere along the wall."
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