Buckeye tree being dedicated on YSU campus for Harry Meshel

A tree planted in honor of former State Sen. Harry Meshel will be dedicated at a brief gathering outside the north entrance of Tod Hall on the YSU campus, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m. near the parking lot of the Butler Institute of American Art.

Meshel's family wanted to commemorate his 90th birthday in a special way. So they had a tree planted at YSU, where Meshel was a student and a faculty member and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. At the ceremony, a plaque adjacent to the tree will be unveiled. The tree is a special cultivar of Buckeye called Aesculus x arnoldiana “Autumn Splendor,” whose distinguishing feature is its scarlet fall color.

The tree is part of YSU’s Campus Beautification Initiative, a program that is dedicated to the management and preservation of campus trees and green spaces. The Initiative seeks to diversify the campus tree population of nearly 2,000 trees by planting native species that are not yet present on the YSU campus. The National Arbor Day Foundation has honored YSU as a Tree Campus USA for six consecutive years in recognition of the University’s commitment to preservation of its natural resources for the benefit, enjoyment and education of future generations of students. YSU is one of 250 colleges and universities nationwide to have received this honor.