American Magazine April 2014

memories
Excerpts from the Eagle archives at the eagleonline.com/archives
RECOGNIZE
these plaid-clad,
pickax-packing coeds?
Reveal their identities
at magazine@
american.edu.
1933
Shouldering shovels, saws, and spades,
would-be gardeners fanned out across
campus for AU’s inaugural Arbor Day
celebration, April 27. “Clad in beach
pajamas, overalls, and knickers (the latter
especially prevalent among the faculty),”
the green thumbs tended trees and
groomed gardens—including a patch of
poison ivy planted by mistake instead of
honeysuckle on the football field. Despite
the itchy situation, an annual Arbor Day
celebration was added to the college
calendar in 1936.
1943
Four Korean cherry trees were presented
to AU by the Korean Women’s Relief
Society of Honolulu as part of the
Arbor Day festivities. AU president Paul
Douglass read the Korean Declaration of
Independence while Syngman Rhee—who
in 1948 became the first president of
South Korea—broke ground, planting the
first flowering tree near the School of
International Service. That day, a tradition
took root: the South Korean ambassador
visits SIS every spring when the pink
blossoms are at their peak.
1970
AU students were among the 20 million
Americans who rallied on behalf of Mother
Nature during the first-ever Earth Day,
April 22. The brainchild of Sen. Gaylord
Nelson (D-WI)—who wanted to harness the
energy of the student antiwar movement
to promote environmental issues—the day
featured a “teach-in on the environment”
at colleges across the country. AU’s
eco-friendly activities included guest
lecturers, a film about noise pollution, a
folk concert, and a demonstration of a
“portable waste disposal unit.”
1994
After a particularly brutal winter, 600
volunteers crept out of their cubicles and
residence halls to do some spring cleaning.
For six hours, students, faculty, and staff
gave the campus a little TLC, sweeping
sidewalks, raking mulch, and washing the
university’s fleet of vehicles. And with that,
Campus Beautification Day was born. The
celebration of sustainability, an early April
tradition, during which volunteers plant
thousands of perennials, hundreds of
shrubs, and dozens of trees, is now in its
21st year.
Were you an environmental crusader? Share your memories of Arbor, Earth, and Campus Beautification
Days past: email magazine@american.edu.
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