On a fair, mild, breezy morning, April 22, 2008, Northampton Community College (NCC) students, staff and faculty gathered to break ground for the College’s Tribute Garden , “A Space to Remember and Celebrate.”

The garden will encompass two acres bordered by Penn Hall on the north, by a slope on the east, by the college’s south entrance on the south, and by Commonwealth Hall on the west. The completed project will include a tribute walk with engraved pavers, a fountain plaza, a memorial walk with pavers, an art garden, shade and sitting gardens, a memorial medallion, a grove, plaques, and trees and benches throughout.

The Tribute Garden will provide a place for quiet reflection, camaraderie, special events, and appreciation of beauty. Opportunities will be provided for the recognition of friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff of the College.

“We will remember and honor the wonderful people who have supported us during our forty years,” NCC President Arthur Scott noted.

Karl Stackhouse, chairman of the board of trustees, said that the garden will pay tribute to unsung heroes as well as symbolize the College’s core values. “Let NCC serve as a model of environmental sustainability and of putting knowledge into action,” he said.

Dan Murphy, a member of the Environmental Task Force, said that only native, North American trees will be planted in the garden and that trees endow a place with many environmental benefits, from the absorption of carbon dioxide to the production of oxygen to the recycling of water. The future new Monroe Campus will preserve mature, existing trees, with structures built around them rather than replacing them.

In the view of Student Senate President Eden Fimiano, the Tribute Garden will offer visitors peace and serenity and give students the opportunity to be inspired in a place where they can ponder their future possibilities.

Bruce Palmer, vice chair of the NCC Foundation Board and a member of the Board of Trustees, envisions that the garden will raise awareness about NCC’s value to the community and of the contributions of past and future donors.

Sally Jablonski, president of the NCC Alumni Board, drew attention to the Tribute Garden’s groundbreaking being coincident to Earth Day and she anticipates the contributions the garden will make to saving the environment.

Construction will begin in summer or fall with a stairway from the eastern end of the parking lot and with the Tribute Walkway, which begins at the stairway’s end and winds to Penn Hall.

Groundbreaking commenced with President Scott and other major participants emptying shovels of soil around two newly-planted trees. One tree, a red sunset maple, is the gift of Michael Italiani, ’82 of Green Pond Nursery. The other, a red maple, is the present of Edge of the Woods Nursery.   

The Tribute Garden is a donor-driven project, which already has attracted twelve generous contributors, including the NCC Alumni Association, the Class of 2007 and other individuals and groups. Donations in any amount are welcome. You can remember a special person in your life, honor a mentor, pay homage to a beloved teacher, and much more. To contribute to the project and learn about naming opportunities, call Sharon Jones Zondag at 610-861-5449 or e-mail her at szondag@northampton.edu.