Campbell dedicates 300-year-old Founders Oak, new Legacy Tree

Two trees - one that has seen all 139 years of Campbell history and one that it is hoped will see the next 139 years - were dedicated in the University's Academic Circle on Wednesday as part of a weeklong celebration of President Dr. William M. Downs' Inauguration Week.

Downs was joined by students and staff on a bright, brisk spring day to dedicate the Founders Oak - the 90-foot tall, roughly 300-year-old willow oak tree near the Oscar N. Harris Student Union - and a newly planted Legacy Tree about 50 yards away to honor both the past and future of Campbell as it prepares to formally inaugurate just its sixth president.

According to Downs, recognizing the campus' oldest natural structure was the idea of 1963 graduate and member of the Alumni Board of Directors Carroll Leggett, who was on hand for Wednesday's ceremony. He said Campbell brought in the North Carolina Forestry Service to conduct tests on the tree last April and determined it to be between 275 and 300 years old.

"It stands here bearing witness to the life of our university," Downs said. "This tree has seen literally thousands of students who have come through our classrooms, and then has watched them succeed and then secure their places in the world. This tree has been here for five presidents, who have shaped and shepherded this institution. From Buies Creek Academy to Campbell University. And as the sixth president, I, too, have met this enduring fixture, and I think we're gonna get along well."

In introducing its new neighbor, Downs quoted an old Chinese proverb: "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

The Legacy Tree is, currently, a 9-foot-tall sugar maple that can grow, on average 70 to 100 feet high when fully mature, which can take 30 to 40 years. Vice President for Student Life and Christian Mission Rev. Dr. Faithe Beam said the tree will turn, fittingly, bright orange in the fall.

"As the community of Campbell University today, we sit in a canopy of trees of those who have come before us - presidents, faculty, staff, students and community members who have built this place that we call home," Beam said. "It is intentional that we gather here this morning between two trees. The grand willow oak and the new Legacy Tree. We, quite literally, stand in a present moment between a rich heritage and a bright future as we carry forward the Campbell story."

Downs was joined by students and golden shovels to drop the first fresh dirt on the ground around the new tree. The ceremony was followed by a gathering in the Student Union that included historical displays of all six Campbell University presidents.

Learn more about Inauguration Week: http://www.campbell.edu/inauguration

Contributors