10/01/2026
$25,000 Milestone reached! According to Campus Development, the Forestry Alumni Legacy Oak is paid in full. 🌳
Associate Professor of Forestry Hank Stelzer and Director of Mizzou Botanic Garden Joe Kovolyan joined each other on Francis Quadrangle to celebrate this accomplishment.
Stelzer came up with the idea for the oak and has been a part of the journey from start to finish.
“I just felt it was an appropriate way to let people passing by the Legacy Oaks on the Quad know there were forestry alumni over the years who were grateful for the guidance, support and love given by a truly dedicated group of faculty and staff,” Stelzer said.
He and other alumni learned so much beyond just becoming a professional forester. They learned to work together as a team and truly enjoy the journey. The Legacy Oak Project began back in 2018.
Stelzer, with the help of Shawn Poore, began the campaign to raise money for the oak four years later. 76 alumni from across the years contributed donations. Most notably was Bruce Loewenburg, an alum from the Class of 1961.
Bruce not only contributed $1,000 to the Forestry Alumni Legacy Oak, but underwrote his own Legacy Oak tree in the southeast quarter of the Quad.
SNR congratulates Hank Stelzer, alumni and all who came together to pay for or support the establishment of the Legacy Oak. Thanks to you, SNR students have a reminder of the meaningful impact forestry faculty and staff have had across generations.
