It was here for a long time, planted by General Pershing on February 5, 1920:
It came down today, the victim of disease:
They kept the big pieces for some future project. The little pieces looked pretty in the back of the truck:
There’s also good news. A while ago the guys over in Grounds had the foresight to make several grafts of the tree–it apparently never produced nuts–and at least one of them is thriving under their care:
Pershing Pecan, RIP.
Oh gee…didn’t we just dedicate a plaque for this tree a couple of years ago? What a shame! Were we not watchful enough? Where were the arborists?
Thank goodness for the grafts! Maybe we’ll be able to plant a sapling in its place! J
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It wasn’t the arborists’ fault. They’d been trying hard to save it for a while and made the grafts as a precaution. It’s starting to look like everything alive has a limited life span.
Eventually, we will face similar problems with the live oaks. They just have a longer life span. That why, I believe, President Rupp asked that we grow Dr. Kean’s beloved Italian Cypress trees on the tree farm — as backups.
You can see a similar decline in the health of the ligustrum hedge that surrounds campus. As the oaks have grown, the hedge gets less light. As it gets older, it seems to get less vigorous. The hedge has become increasingly sparse over the last fifteen years. In the next fifteen, that trend will undoubtedly continue.
Dear Melissa,
I always enjoy your Rice History Corner. Often, it brings back fond memories. Here is a set of three very brief vignettes of my Rice days (1951-1955) that you may enjoy.
I’ll appreciate your adding Whitney and Troy Schaap to your mailing list. They are a pair of Baylor Bears who are thrilled that their son has just finished his freshman year at Rice still thinking he has entered the pearly gates. Whitney and Troy are now enthusiastic Rice Owls. And their beautiful and brilliant daughter Payton is an excellent prospective owl, as well.
See address line for the Schaap’s address.
Yours,
Bob