Greenbrier Garden Club donates tree on Summerville Campus after Helene

In the midst of a busy week of events for Augusta University, members of the Greenbrier Garden Club gathered on the morning of Friday, April 25, at a quiet section of the History Walk on the Summerville Campus to donate and plant a tree. The tree, a young red maple, is the first to be planted on the Summerville Campus since Hurricane Helene struck the area.

For the members of the garden club, many of whom have deep ties to the university and the city, it made perfect sense to donate and plant this tree at AU.

“It was really sad to see how many trees were down around this area after the storm. To be able to replant one of those trees at a place that means so much to so many of us, it was a real honor,” said Julie Dent, who was a member of the first class of AU’s legacy institution, the Junior College of Augusta, when it moved to the former Augusta Arsenal on what is now the Summerville Campus. Her grandson, Wright Andrews, is a student in the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Many of us walk through the campus – I’m not able to anymore, but my granddaughter still does every single day – and we love how beautiful everything is. To be able to carry on this legacy, it really gives me a thrill.”

Linda Wier has been a member of the garden club since the early 1970s, and she recognized the importance of planting the tree somewhere it would be taken care of so more people can enjoy it for years to come.

“I love being a part of the Greenbrier Garden Club. These women are all about making places within our community look more beautiful through gardening,” Wier said. “After the devastation of Hurricane Helene, we wanted to do something to help, and as we were looking for places we could do something, we thought Augusta University would be a great place because they take care of things, whether that’s plants or the people. And it just is a great feeling to see this tree being planted today.”

The garden club was aided in their search for the perfect tree by AU’s new director of landscaping and grounds, Anna Lacey.

“It was an honor to be able to facilitate locating and purchasing a tree that is native to this area and also locally sourced,” said Lacey, who worked for the Augusta National Golf Club and Sage Valley Golf Club before joining AU. “Donating a tree to be planted is great because it will be here for years to come, and it adds so much to our campus.”

In the months since Hurricane Helene tore through the area, a lot of work has been done to rebuild, repair and replace. To date, it has been estimated that nearly 4.2 million cubic yards of storm debris have been collected from around Richmond County, with an additional 5.1 million cubic yards being collected in Columbia County, according to Campbell Vaughn, Richmond County extension coordinator for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

The landscape of the CSRA has been drastically altered, and the members of the Greenbrier Garden Club recognize the importance of AU to the Augusta community and the CSRA. But it was about more than just donating a tree. It was about giving a little something back to the university, helping in efforts to continue to rebuild and restore, and a chance to remember.

Like Dent, Becky McKenzie graduated from AU’s legacy institution, then Augusta College. A member of the Class of 1970, she knows the importance AU has played in her life, as well as the lives of her family, with her son Jason McKenzie having been an employee of the institution prior to his death last year, and in the community surrounding the university.

“It means a lot to me to see the community come together and try to make this campus as beautiful as it once was. People in this community revere the school, and it’s just a great example of if you ask, then people will help,” McKenzie said. “If this spurs on other people – whether that’s other garden clubs, other groups or individual people – that would be truly amazing.”

The placement of the tree was a welcome sight to McKenzie and others as it will be able to be seen both by those walking the campus and those driving along Walton Way.

“I didn’t realize it was going to be planted in the History Walk, but as I was telling people about this and they asked where, I would tell them, ‘The History Walk,’ and so many said, ‘Oh! We love that! We walk by there all the time. We can’t wait to see the tree,’” McKenzie said. “So, I think every time they see the tree, they will remember people who have gone on, what they have done for this university and beyond. It’ll just be something that people will always be able to look to as inspiration for what they could possibly do.”

Cathy Kron considers herself a fairly new resident, having lived in Augusta “only for 13 years,” but she already sees the impact the university has had on her friends and their families.

“Our club is very proud to be able to do this for AU, for those who enjoy the campus and for our members. So many of our members have had children and other family who have come here, or they themselves went here, and many walk throughout the campus,” Kron said. “It is wonderful to be able to come and plant this tree because of what it means to so many people. It’s in a great spot where people can see it, whether they are walking along the History Walk or if they are driving by on Walton Way. I hope we’ll be able to do it again, and maybe that will encourage others to also donate or plant trees.”

You can donate to the AU Tree Fund by visiting the fund’s page. If you are interested in donating or planting a tree on campus, please email the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement team.