By Bruce Hallmark (M.S., ’04)
“Poets, teachers, lovers of beauty.” That is how the message reads on the plaque below the bench commemorating Bill and Cynthia Tremblay’s lives at Colorado State University and in Fort Collins.
“It’s an expression of our affection for CSU,” said Bill, an award-winning poet as well as a novelist, teacher, and editor. “The message on the plaque encapsulated our feelings. And it’s placed with a really gorgeous view of the Twin Peaks off to the southwest.”
The Tremblays moved to Fort Collins in 1973 after Bill was hired as a faculty member in the Department of English. Cynthia is a published poet as well, and both were active in the local arts community during their nearly 50 years in Fort Collins.
The bench is a gift to the campus that reflects both of their lives and is nestled among some trees beside the Vietnam Memorial Bridge. For them, the location is reminiscent of the “groves of Academe” where Socrates taught, Bill said. “Our bench is in a little grove of crabapple trees, so it’s perfect.”
Beautifying Campus
Installed in the summer of 2021, the Tremblays’ bench is part of the University’s Commemorative Trees and Benches Program, which includes more than 115 trees and benches spread throughout the Main and South campuses.
The program provides an opportunity to pay tribute to a loved one, commemorate a special occasion or event, or celebrate a friend or family member through the gift of a tree or bench. The campus arborist, Scott Simonds, and his team are responsible for acquiring and planting the trees.
Most donors attend the installation of benches and the planting of trees, and since 2021, notes can be written on biodegradable paper and placed in the hole during tree planting. Notes were first planted with a tree on Sept. 1, 2021, as part of the Fall Reflection, a Universitywide event held on the West Lawn of the Lory Student Center. This spring, a tree is being planted to honor the 10th anniversary of the One Cure program, which is developing treatments for cancer in pets and people.
According to David Hansen, University landscape architect, the naming of trees and benches began in the early 1990s and grew in popularity during the next decade, compelling Facilities Management to formally establish a program in 2003. In 2016, the University Naming Committee worked with University Advancement to further refine the elements of the program, including designating the Donor Relations and Stewardship team in University Advancement as the main point of contact.
In 2020, the University was accredited as a level III arboretum by ArbNet, an international accrediting organization that maintains and promotes industry standards across the arboretum community. The University Arboretum encompasses about 10,000 trees on the Main, South, and Foothills campuses combined.
“As part of our arboretum designation, we’re trying to diversify the tree palette we have on campus as much as possible,” Hansen said. “The commemorative tree program gives an opportunity to expand beyond popular tree varieties, such as oaks, maples, and evergreens, to dozens of other species suitable for our climate.”
A Work in Progress
The University’s master plan, which tracks and forecasts building and infrastructure changes on campus, is used to help locate commemorative trees away from anticipated construction projects and underground utilities, and to plant them in places with optimum soil and sunlight for the selected variety. But no crystal ball is perfect.
“We had a tree and a bench impacted by the construction of the Nutrien Agricultural Sciences building,” Hansen said. “I suggested a few locations for the bench, and the donor agreed to one of them. She understood the situation and was happy we were trying to accommodate the original intent of the bench, and we paid to have the tree relocated because it was a really nice specimen tree.” When trees and benches need to be relocated, there is usually a rededication ceremony if the donor wishes.
Enhancing the Experience
As part of elevating the program, a new website was launched in early May. When the site is fully developed, it will include campus maps and GPS coordinates for named trees and benches, as well as stories and information about why donors selected a tree or bench and who (or what) is being commemorated.
The program is multifaceted in how it touches donors and improves the University. “Trees and benches are an important part of the beautification of campus,” said Macon Allen, who coordinates the program for University Advancement. “They also provide a connection to campus for the family while giving something special to our campus community.”
That’s something the Tremblays understand. The couple, now retired, moved to the Boston area in the summer of 2021 to be near two of their sons.
“We’ve done a lot of sitting on benches in Colorado over the years and looking out at the mountains,” said Cynthia. “We liked the idea of others enjoying that too.” Reflecting on the location of their bench, Bill added: “We would love to be able to be there when the crabapple trees blossom. I’m sure it’s going to be lovely.”
To begin the process of naming a tree or bench, visit this webpage.