Memorial and Honorial Tree Opportunities

The memorial and honorial tree program is a unique way to commemorate a loved one with a one-of-a-kind living memorial while supporting our mission and the campus arboretum. Our curators work with sponsors to find just the right tree and to create a custom plaque honoring your loved one. Your gift ensures your tree receives the care and attention it needs to reach its full splendor.

Opportunities for memorial and honorial trees start at $5,000. One hundred percent of the donation supports the Botanic Garden of Smith College. Smaller donations may also be given to the Friends of the Botanic Garden in the name of a person or group.

For more information, contact Business Operations Coordinator Sheri Lyn Peabody.

A Tree Sponsored, A Message Memorialized

In the middle of Chapin Lawn, just outside the Campus Center, stands a magnificent Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) that provides just the right amount of shade for Smithies on sunny days. While the oak is notable for its own majestic glory, it stands out for another reason as well. On its trunk there is a plaque with the following quote: “Every thought and opinion starts in the minority of one. Your opinion counts.”

The quote was selected for the plaque by Sheryl L. Roth Rogers ’77 when she sponsored the oak as part of the botanic garden’s Memorial and Honorial Tree Program. In April 2021, she made a dual-purpose gift to sponsor a tree and to endow a scholarship fund.