The Physical Plant will soon be branching out due to a recent donation by John and Shirley Richardson.
The Waterford, Michigan couple donated $25,000 to start the John and Shirley Richardson Campus Beautification Fund. The donation will fund a project to plant trees on the UCA campus. An allocation of $5,000 each year over a five-year period will be designated for the project.
“We are very grateful for this gift. It helps us to move at a faster pace than we might have previously hoped for,” said Larry Lawrence, director of Physical Plant. “As the trees mature over time, it will enhance the beauty of our campus.”
The Physical Plant wants to increase the variety of trees across the UCA campus. The variety of the new trees range from Red Maple to Crape Myrtle. Physical Plant has been working with Don Culwell, who is retired from UCA’s biology department. The planting process will begin within the next month.
“The campus as a whole will benefit with the new planting of trees. It will further beautify our campus,” he said. “From time to time, older trees do die for one reason or another. This money allows us to look at the campus as a whole and to plant trees in areas that make sense.”
The Richardsons are natives of Michigan. Shortly after their marriage, John was stationed at Jacksonville Air Force Base in Arkansas. He serves as the base veterinarian. Shirley transferred college credits from previously attended Hope College and Michigan State University, and in 1959 graduated from Arkansas State Teachers College which is now UCA. The Richardsons have been active in community and state projects. Shirley has been committed to Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc. and has served this statewide volunteer organization for 46 years. She has a love for trees and flowers, and has commented on the beauty of the UCA campus. She was thrilled to hear of a project that would focus on the beautification of this campus. – Lisa Burnett