Good-bye, Old Friend

This majestic sycamore tree has sat on Henderson Lawn of the Virginia Tech campus for well over one hundred and thirty-eight years. Today it is coming down. Mark Helms, VT Director of Facilities sent the following open letter to the Blacksburg community:

"To the Campus Community,

After many years of heroic efforts at preservation, the large sycamore tree within the Henderson lawn has succumbed to old age and cannot be saved. We have had several evaluations over the last few years looking to eke out additional time in the life of this very old tree. We regret that it must be cut down. This is the only safe and appropriate course of action. Work will begin about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27 and should be completed by about 5:30 p.m. the same day.

Fortunately, the university will be working with town government for possible redesign of the area around Henderson Lawn. It is our intention to plant another tree somewhere in the vicinity of the old tree once the design work is completed. We hope that future generations will enjoy the shade as much as we have.

University faculty have taken cuttings and will attempt to propagate future saplings. However, we can’t site another planting until we fully understand the future use and design for this important interface area between campus and downtown. The wood from the old tree will be saved for the time being awaiting recommendations on possible re-use."

You can tell from Helm's words that this is an emotional time for many of us. I have a plethora of fond memories related to this tree. Since I moved here in 1972, I have enjoyed the shade of its branches and the majesty of its stance. It is a welcome beacon in its position at the corner of Main Street and College Avenue, the most historic corner in Blacksburg. Diagonally across the street is a building erected in 1808, and I wonder how long it was after its construction that this beloved sycamore tree sprouted.

Sycamore tree, you are an old and dear friend and I will miss you. If you could talk, I wonder what stories you might tell. As a sentinel for so many years, you surely have seen many events. You have watched children dance at your feet and weary travelers sit for a spell in your shade. Good-bye, dear friend. I dread going downtown tonight because there will be an empty place where you stood as well as an empty spot in my heart.



These good-bye notes, attached to the tree, express much of what I am feeling.

Addendum: Downtown this evening, College Avenue was blocked off. The tree-cutting crew was still there and huge hunks of the old sycamore were sitting right in the middle of the street just down from the Lyric Theater. Some of the workmen were sitting on them. It was a sad, sad moment. When I exited the theater about 8:30 the road was unblocked and all was "back to normal".