How Our Memorial Garden Took Root
By Ed Busch, Church Archivist
You may have seen recent calls in the weekly newsletter from Steve Pueppke and Margo Smith asking for Memorial Garden volunteers. This quiet, beautiful space offers sanctuary for reflection and remembrance—but it also relies on dedicated care to thrive.
This week, I took a dive into the church archives to uncover the garden’s history. Here’s what I found.
The idea for a Memorial Garden first appeared in the 1982–1983 Annual Report as a “future project” for the East Lansing church, planned for the south side of the front yard. Annual reports, by the way, are a treasure trove of church history!
The 1983–1984 Annual Report offered more detail: the Memorial Garden was made possible by a generous gift from Clarence Rosa in memory of Marcella Orr Rosa. Plantings came from Harold and Wimpy Hicks, and Michigan State University (MSU) professor Tony Bauer’s Landscape Architecture class—along with church volunteers—handled the design and construction. Tony, a church member, taught at MSU from 1980 to 1998. There were even plans to add a gazebo in the future.
Digging deeper, I found a September 6, 1983 Memorial Garden Project Plan from Bob Fuehr (Building and Grounds) to church president George Smith. The plan detailed procedures, materials, and equipment needs, including decisions like how to handle excess dirt (sent to Marianne Davis’s son’s house) and how to transport sandstone from Jackson Quarry (thanks to C.B. Smith). They even mapped out needs like 100 feet of perforated PVC drain tile.
The September 12, 1983 Liberal Express newsletter announced the upcoming construction by Tony Bauer’s students, with about 35–40 students expected to work over two weekends in October. The church was responsible for supplying materials and tools, and they were still fundraising for a follow-up arbor project.
The next week’s newsletter included a tool-lending request, asking for everything from heavy-duty wheelbarrows, tampers, and shovels to garden rakes, pickaxes, hoses, wood stakes, hammers, a hoe, a handsaw, and even a ball of string.
By October 24, the newsletter cheerfully asked, “Have You Seen Our New Garden?” Over two weekends, students had shoveled and hauled topsoil, gravel, and sand; used 17 tons of Jackson limestone to build the wall; and planted 1,000 ivy plants, plus shrubs and ornamental trees donated by the Hicks, church member Joey Latterman’s parents. Larry Piercey taught the students how to work with the stone, and Marianne Davis kept them fueled with hot lunches. A small safety note reminded parents to keep children off the wall: “Limestone breaks easily and they could fall and be injured.”
In a letter dated October 28, 1983, church president George Smith and Rev. Denise Tracy thanked MSU Dean Gwen Andrews and the students for transforming “a mundane church frontage into a work of architectural beauty.” They called it “an exemplary act of intra-community cooperation.”
By the following spring, volunteers helped beautify the front yard further, and the Memorial Garden was officially dedicated at the May 20, 1984 service.
Do you have photographs or memories of the Memorial Garden at our East Lansing location? I’d love to hear your stories! Please feel free to share them with me by email. Also, I’m always looking for stories to pursue!
In my next post, I’ll explore how the Memorial Garden moved with us to our South Lansing home. I’ll be traveling most of June, so stay tuned!
Memorial Garden Dedication, 1984. BR: Sherwood Haynes, Pat Atkinson, Dan Talhelm, Terry Dennis, Ben Bohnhorst. FR: Rev. Denise Tracy, Marion and Jo Lay. (2007.0033)
Memorial Garden Dedication, 1984. (2008.0716)
Sources:
UUCGL Annual Report 1982-1983
UUCGL Annual Report 1983-1984
September 6, 1983 Memorial Garden Project Plan, Building and Grounds records
September 12, 1983 Liberal Express newsletter
September 19, 1983 Liberal Express newsletter
October 24, 1983 Liberal Express newsletter
Order of Service, May 20, 1984
About the Author
Hi, I’m Ed Busch, the writer behind these blog posts exploring the history of UU Lansing. After retiring in 2023 from a 15-year career as an Electronic Records Archivist at Michigan State University’s Archives & Historical Collections, I’m thrilled to dedicate my time to sharing our church’s rich history.
I hold a Master’s in Library and Information Science, specializing in archival administration, and my academic background also includes a degree in Fisheries and coursework in Computer Science. Before shifting to a career in archives, I worked across diverse fields, including fisheries, aerospace, and IT.
My wife, Leigh White, and I have been part of the UU Lansing community since the early 2000s and became members in 2006. I’ve been actively involved with the church archives since 2007, and both of our daughters enjoyed growing up in UU Lansing’s Religious Education (RE) program.
I look forward to connecting with you through these blog posts as we delve into the stories that have shaped UU Lansing over the years.