Augustana’s campus will soon gain a multitude of new trees, thanks to Joe ‘75 and Jennifer (Frerichs) Kirby ‘93. The Kirbys have committed to contributing 10 trees per year over the next five years, beginning in May.
“There’s nothing quite like a tree-filled college campus in terms of beauty,” said Joe.
The first 10 trees will be planted in May in different locations around campus — behind the Fryxell Humanities Center, in front of East Hall and between the Administration Building and Mikkelsen Library. There will be five types of trees planted this first year: Accolade Elm, Heritage Oak, State Street Maple, Espresso Coffee and Northern Catalpa. The planted trees will all have roughly 1.5 inch diameter trunks.
As part of Augustana’s campus master plan, the current version of which was created in February 2020, the university has a goal of improving landscaping and developing “functional and programmable campus landscapes.”
“I’ve had a particular interest in trees all my life, so I know how to pick the right varieties for our area,” Joe said. “And, I've been involved at the Minnehaha Country Club for most of my life and picking out and placing trees on the golf course there. I'm working with Dave Swift, the superintendent at Minnehaha (Country Club), to purchase the right varieties of trees and put them in the ground. He's going to have his staff help Augustana staff do that sometime in late May.”
The Kirbys, who are both alumni, have been involved with Augustana for many years. Joe served on the Augustana Board of Regents (now Trustees) from 1986-99, and as board chair from 1993-96. Jennifer served on the board from 2010-15. And, last spring, when the couple discovered a new way to get involved with Augustana, they jumped at the chance.
“We took a campus tour with Stephanie (Herseth Sandlin, president), and she mentioned the number of trees that had been lost because of some of the ice and wind storms,” Joe said. “So, I thought, ‘That's a good idea. Let's replace a bunch of trees.’”
The Kirbys said they often look for unique philanthropic opportunities within the Sioux Falls area, such as the Kirby Dog Park in Downtown Sioux Falls, Kirby Place at the Walsh Family Village and Jennifer’s lead of the campaign to build the Levitt Shell.
Joe said he’ll be on campus when the trees are planted — watching his Augustana roots deepen once again.
“I love to see good, healthy trees — the right varieties, well pruned and taken care of,” said Joe. “I just think they’re very important to the human spirit.”