Branching the History of QueensBy: Amanda Buehler (9/21/16)

Nature is caring, nature is nurturing, nature can withstand time, nature is

beautiful, and nature is full of history. The oak trees spread out amongst Queens

University of Charlotte’s campus are truly standing with over 100 years of history.

Just like Shel Silverstein wrote in The Giving Tree, “Come and climb up my

trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.”

These trees have been here since Queens moved to the Myers Park area for the campus.

The week of August 22, 2016, the two oak

trees outside of McEwen building came rumbling

to life when a tree branch fell and landed on the

sidewalk. No one was harmed in process of the

branch falling and the Queens staff was alerted

about the issue. The weekend after, rough winds

and rain came through Charlotte for Tropical

Storm Hermine. The winds were so destructive

again that another tree branch came off the trees

and landed on the McEwen building once again.

“Being in the Myers Park area is a real welcoming neighborhood and that is why I

like it so much. It is a biking and walking neighborhood but it’s just the beauty of this

campus and the whole city,” Adelaide Davis, Associate VP of Alumni Relations and

Planned Giving said. “It’s truly a sad moment to see that these trees will be coming down

shortly and the beauty that was once there will be gone.”

Adelaide Davis knows the trees history all too well at Queens. Davis graduated

from Queens in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She has seen them grow

with beauty within her past 33 years of working at Queens. Davis is sad to see the trees

be taken down due to the breathtaking visual aspect of being surrounded by the enormous

trees, and the shade that they brought students while working on homework or bypassing

joggers/walkers.

Queens has even been featured in Charlotte Magazine’s in 2013 for the beauty of

the landscape and the trees surrounding campus. During the arrangement of what will be

happening to the trees next you can almost hope that they fully preserve the trees and the

future process of planting future saplings.

“Not only are they part of the campus but they are

also a staple to North Carolina,” senior Karla Sanchez-

Garcia said. “I came from Mexico City and coming here

and seeing all green – it’s nothing like you see anywhere

else.”

At the beginning of last week anyone could walk

right by the front part of the campus and just see two bare

trees on the verge of coming down. However, where once

history flourished there are now just limbs and a bunch of

sawdust, thus symbolizing the end to some of Queens

history.

We spoke to Matt Packey, the CFO and VP of Admissions, about the trees and on

Friday September 16, 2016, the two trees came down due to the “Davey Tree Company

having an opening within their schedule the trees finally came down.” Faculty, staff

members, and even pedestrians stopped

Around campus there are many memorial trees spread out and the new saplings

will be placed in memoriam of the trees that were there before them.

Here is a poem regarding the loss of the trees:

Loss

Where long the old tree stood,Rest for our eyes, are stacks

Of oak wood split for burning.The mind accepts the ax;

But like a bird swift-homingTo its accustomed place

Sight, dispossessed, still hoversAghast on empty space.

Jane Merchant

All of the trees throughout campus are beautiful during the fall once they start to

change colors. The alumni and staff at Queens will, to the best of their abilities, preserve

the trees on campus, even if it does cost a little more money, because these trees are

valuable and symbolize the history of Queens University of Charlotte.

If you would like to learn more about the history of the trees or the future

plans contact Mrs. Davis or Mr. Packey for more information:

Adelaide Anderson Davis '61Assoc. VP for Alumni Relations and Planned GivingQueens University of Charlotte704 337-2329 directdavisa@queens.edu

Matt PackeyCFO and VP for AdministrationQueens University of Charlotte704-337-2375