George "Jay" C. Stacy Jr.

George “Jay” Stacy dies at 79

By Bill Kleiman, with Bernie Buchholz

When Jay led a prairie tour he often would get down on his knees while others hovered around him, this to better show you the plants, but kneeling is also a position of prayer, of humble awe at the creation. There’s pussytoes! Look! This little pink milkwort. Downy yellow painted cup, a rare plant. Stiff aster and there is goats rue forming seed. Making bacon! These were thriving plants that he had planted as seeds. You were on hallowed ground, or at least Jay’s ground. Perhaps a short lecture on Thomas Aquinas was due. His passion for the work was such that you would lean into it, wanting a bit of that energy for yourself. Jay found this passion project in his mid-life and he did not stop until his body quit.

Jay died September 6 at the Pinecrest Nursing Home in Mt. Morris Illinois after two months of illness.

Jay Stacy was born George Charles Stacy, Jr. in Chicago on June 29, 1947 to Dr. George C Stacy & Marion (Kehl) Stacy. He grew up in Lincolnwood, Illinois, the oldest of five children and attended the local parochial school, Queen of All Saints. He spent his high school years at Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and completed his formal education at Northwestern University with a B.A. in Political Science.

For three decades Jay volunteered seven days a week at Nachusa Grasslands, a project of The Nature Conservancy. Here are his words from a public radio program on Nachusa where Jay is the main narrator, “My first season was 1995 out here, and on my first trip I wanted to see a grasshopper sparrow and I heard they also had upland plover here, and I had never seen either bird. And I drove up and sitting on the preserve sign right by the driveway, there was a grasshopper sparrow and he was singing. It was like “oh boy”, and before I got out of my car an upland plover lifted right off this ridge here. That was a real nice beginning.”

We love that radio piece. Cody Considine set it to photos of Nachusa and photos of Jay and other volunteers. A link is below and it is on the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands website under the media tab. Listen to Jay and see what we mean that he was such a fine ambassador of Nachusa!

The Brains and Braun Behind Nachusa

Jay found his home in our Nachusa community. As a full-time volunteer he demonstrated how to turn a corn field into a very diverse prairie, perhaps the best creations anyone will find. To do this requires diligence throughout the field season. Jay would be out first thing in the morning hand harvesting seeds, or doing weed work on previous habitat creations. At lunch the banter was on conservation, the small details of creating habitat, or sports. Jay was a Chicago White-Sox fan. Then back out to the field for a full day. Weekends found Jay here too. He could work in the sun all day. He was tall and lanky, often with a cigarette between fingers dyed a bit blue from him being sloppy with the herbicide mix.

Jay gave tours to important friends of our project, to conservation professionals whom he could tutor, and sometimes the general public got to see him draw attention to the details of prairie on his knees. People would come here to spend time with Jay at his famous habitat restorations.

Jay would work with you if you were ready. As a volunteer or seasonal crew, if you showed promise, and could keep up with him, you would have a fine mentor.

Jay’s passion for the prairie ran deep. He was an inspiration to those that valued protecting prairie habitat and incredulous that not everyone participated in the mission. He demonstrated a fascination and love for all the plants and animals that made up the whole landscape. Jay could describe in detail the buzzing song of the clay colored sparrow, and tease apart the similar songs of the Lincoln sparrow, the song sparrow, field sparrow, and that Bell’s vireo in the American plum thicket over there.

He is survived by his brother Bill Stacy, and sisters Mary Lee Calihan (E. John) and Barbara Rieckhoff (Conrad). His brother Mark (Amy) preceded him in death.

A celebration of life will be later this year.

Donations can be made in Jay’s memory to the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands, 8772 S Lowden Rd, Franklin Grove, IL 61031 or at their website.

A 2023 set of photos and kudos from friends can be viewed here: Honoring Jay Stacy