The Day – Mystic Seaport gardener celebrates a half-century in the perfect job

Mystic — As a young boy growing up in Stonington, Steve Sisk would venture into the woods near his home and begin landscaping the forest. He’d also dig up trees and bushes and replant them in his yard. And he was the only one in his large family who liked cutting the lawn.

So, it was little surprise that when Sisk was a junior at Stonington High School, his uncle helped him land a job at Mystic Seaport Museum, as what else but the museum gardener.

That was more than 50 years ago and Seaport employees two weeks ago celebrated Sisk’s half-century of employment at the museum with a ceremony in which they gave him a wooden sea chest fashioned by various Seaport artisans.

Sisk, 67, said it doesn’t seem that long ago that he arrived at the Seaport for his first day of work.

“Time does fly,” he said.

Sisk and garden supervisor Julia Jankowski are assisted by a small army of…