Planting a tree is an act of thinking toward the future, providing a landscape with environmental benefits, cooling shade and a source of beauty. At Wofford, planting a tree can also be a way to create an enduring memory.
The Commemorative Tree Program allows individuals or groups to create a living memorial or place of honor for a loved one while enhancing the college’s 180-acre arboretum.
With a gift of $5,000 or more, a tree will be planted and dedicated on campus. GPS coordinates will be provided for each commemorative tree, and a tag will be placed on the tree with wording directed by the donor(s).
Read about how the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon dedicated a tree in memory of Camp Arnett ’13 in the summer 2025 edition of Wofford Today, and learn more details about the program in the FAQ below.
The Commemorative Tree Program provides the opportunity for individuals or groups to create a living memorial. A tree can be planted on Wofford College’s grounds recognizing a person or event. Dedicating a tree creates a growing tribute that also promotes a better campus environment.
The tree can be named “In Memory of” or “In Honor of” a loved one, group or event. A $5,000 gift includes installation, a tree tag for the first ten years of the tree’s life and a survival guarantee for the first ten years of the tree’s life.
Gifts to the Commemorative Tree Program are directed as memorials or honorariums toward The Wofford Fund Endowment or The Terrier Club Endowment. It builds an endowment fund for The Wofford Fund or The Terrier Club to permanently enhance those unrestricted annual funds.
A gift of any size is welcome. If it equals or exceeds $5,000, then a tree could be planted on campus to recognize the gift. Initial project costs are covered by the gift. Funds remaining after costs have been met are transferred into the Wofford Fund Endowment or the Terrier Club Endowment.
Wofford’s director of horticulture and landscape design will work with the donor to identify a location and tree type that meet the donor’s desires within the context of the Wofford College landscape plan, the site conditions and the availability of satisfactory nursery stock. How does the college mark the location of a tree? Donors are given a GPS coordinate of their tree, and a tag will be placed on the tree with the memorial or honorific language as directed by the donor.
Most tree species have an optimal time of year when they should be dug from the ground and planted. Early spring is usually the best time to move trees. To ensure spring planting, gifts should be completed by January.
The college takes full responsibility for maintaining the tree as part of the overall campus landscape. If a tree should die unexpectedly despite this care, it will be replaced in kind. Every effort is made to locate donor recognition trees in places that are not subject to development. However, there is no guarantee that a construction project will not displace a given tree. Trees may be replaced later following the project if the construction project takes place within 10 years of the gift.
The first point of communication should be one of the following:
Elizabeth Shuler, director of donor relations
Kilgo-Clinkscales Alumni House
shulereb@wofford.edu | 864-597-4202
Stewart Winslow, director of horticulture and landscape design
Cummings Street Facility
winslowsp@wofford.edu | 864-597-4394