Virginia Tech Memorial - WSU Alumni Arboretum

"In Memory of Loved Ones Lost"

To honor the memory of those lost in the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy, the WSU community planted a large eastern red cedar in the Alumni Arboretum adjacent to the Lewis Alumni Centre on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007. This tree now has special significance in the WSU Arboretum for several important reasons.

The tree was selected as a species that could occur on the campus of Virginia Tech and a similar tree will be planted there to match the symbolic tree planting on the WSU campus. This particular tree is also special because it originally stood next to Johnson Hall, but it had to be rescued and moved during construction of a new building complex.

Rather than see it destroyed, the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences moved the tree into a temporary location until a suitable permanent site could be found for it on campus. While no one anticipated at the time that this tree would be needed for such a purpose, everyone quickly realized that this tree would be eminently suitable for this memorial.

The eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is not really a cedar, but is a species of juniper native to the eastern U.S. The oldest known tree was reported from Missouri and was nearly 800 years old, so the tree has the potential to be a lasting tribute for many years to come.

The tree will grace the hilltop overlooking the Lewis Alumni Centre and will be near the historical Ferry Hall Gazebo that soon will be moved onto the arboretum site. It is fitting that this long-lived tree will now be adjacent to one of the oldest structures on the WSU campus.

For photos and more information, see: WSU Today

For more information on the Eastern Juniper, see: Wikipedia