Theodre Wirth (1863-1949) received the Puglsey Silver Medal in 1930 for his services in developing the Minneapolis park system. He was widely recognized in the first third of the 20th century as the dean of the local parks movement in America. He was a horticulturist, professional park planner and administrator who immigrated to the US in the late 1880's from Switzerland. His father was a teacher in Winterthur, Switzerland who in the 1800's conceived and impletmented afet school recreation programs and summer camps in the Alps for Swiss children. Theodore bonded closely with his teacher father.
One of the Wirth's first jobs was in 1883, in the landscape department of the National Exhibition in Zurich where he assisted in the laying out and maintenance of the exhibition grounds. In London he was employed for two years by a grower and florist. After working for a few months in the orchid houses of Sanders & Company in St. Albans, he went to PAris in 1886 and was employed in Jardins des Plants and later with a commercial establsihment. In April 1888, Wirth landed in New York. He worked for a short time for a private gardener in Morristown, New Jersey.