ARBORETUM COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT 1982-1983
During the past academic year, the Committee has met regularly, about once a month, to review plans
for landscaping and to plan for future developments. Among the many matters to come before the Committee,
three stand out as particularly noteworthy.
The first of these has yet to bear fruit. The Committee initiated a joint effort to landscape the critical
area between Monroe Hall and Newcomb Hall. Detailed plans were drawn by the Planning Department, and
attempts were made to finance the project by approaching Physical Plant, Newcomb Hall, the School of
Commerce., and various student organizations Despite the appropriation of over $13,000 of Committee funds
for the work and despite several attempts to scale down the project to manageable proportions, nothing has
been accomplished. The Committee will continue to press for a cooperative solution to this critical
landscaping problem.
The second notable development has been progress toward the landscaping of parking lots. The
Committee has taken advantage of the opportunity provided by the redesign and paving of the Jefferson Park
Avenue and Whitehead Road lots in order to provide for shade tree planting. The Committee appropriated
$5,600 for the former lot and $14,100 for the latter. The Athletic Department contributed substantially to the
Whitehead Road planting. In order to avoid future large outlays of Committee funds for landscaping that
should properly be accomplished in the context of parking lot development, the Committee initiated a request
to Mr. Haas for study of standards for future lots. Mr. Haas responded favorably with a directive to the
Planning Department to that effect. The Committee hopes that the University may eventually also have
standards for the landscaping of new construction and for redevelopment of areas of the Grounds.
The third serious and time-consuming matter was a request from the Department of Biology for the
removal of about sixty trees shading the existing greenhouse and a proposed extension. The Committee found
the original proposal unacceptable and worked with Biology and with Planning to explore a variety of
alternative solutions. A compromise solution was developed in which the additional greenhouse space is to be
built adjacent to the playing field south of Gilmer Hall. This plan will require removal of a few trees and
substantial landscaping and fencing, but it avoids the extremely adverse environmental impact of the initial
proposal.
The Committee has reviewed a great many plans for other projects of greater or lesser significance.
These are:
1 The Carruthers Hall walk.
2.The Birdwood statuary garden.
3.The Newcomb Hall "Indian Mound", an example where earlier consultation
with the Committee might have mitigated the aesthetic
damage to the Grounds.
4. The Bemiss House garden.
5. The Madison Hall grounds.
6. The Newcomb-Peabody Hall courtyard.
7. The recabling of the McGuffey Ash.
8. Planting plans for Culbreth Lane
9. The landscaping for the Engineering Research Building.
10.The McCormick Road Divider. $4,000 of Committee funds were appropriated to match a similar sum
from Physical Plant.
Several significant plantings have been made in addition to those in the parking lots. A Crimean Linden
(Tilia euchlora) was chosen for the Newcomb-Peabody Court. This is a new species for the grounds. A
memorial tree for Mr. Ralph Singleton was planted opposite the corner. It is a Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea
pungens glauca) given by Mrs. Lucius H. Bracey. An American Holly (Ilex opaca) was planted as a memorial
to Mr. Valfrids Osvalds and a Peach (Prunus Persica) for Marc Borror, a deceased patient at the hospital.
The Committee is particularly appreciative of memorial gifts by Mr. B.F.D. Runk and Mrs. E. Runk
Kayan honoring Mr. Bledsoe Pinkerton, Mr. Ralph Singleton, Mrs. Kathryn Husted, Mr. Frank W. Rogers,
and Mr. Robert Newman.
The Committee will continue to function on an ad hoc basis during the summer until a new committee is
formed in the autumn.
