Antoinette Dorothy Segade

Antoinette Segade was born Antoinette Dorothy Wissing in Cleveland, Ohio in May of 1933. Her parents moved the family to southern Florida then Mexico City for a short time before settling in Tucson, Arizona. As the result of a brief marriage, Antoinette kept her married name, which, to most who knew her, was her only name. Segade was insatiably curious and drawn to nature with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the plants and living beings which make up the natural community living and thriving in the desert Southwest. Segade used her experiences and knowledge as a member of the Native Seeds Search and the Tucson chapter of The Arizona Native Plant Society. She was an avid photographer, and contributed valuable information to both of these important organizations.

Segade taught elementary school, first in Douglas, Arizona before moving to Tucson teaching fifth grade in the Tanque Verde School District, where she would stay for the remainder of her career. Segade’s legacy in Tanque Verde includes the many students and faculty who remember her fondly, and a nature trail where she and her students would walk and discuss all that could be observed on the ground and in the air. To Segade, the natural world was full of great wonder, and her enthusiasm for how the system ebbs and flows and works in synergy with itself was infectious to all who knew her. Antoinette Segade lived a remarkable life, especially enjoying the love and companionship of her wonderful cat, and constant companion, Dancer.