WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3
CAMPUS
Unkempt garden draws attention
BY TOM SLAUGHTER
tslaughter@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
It's a landmark that students, faculty and alumni pass by every day without even noticing.
Nestled along the exterior of the Museum of Anthropology is Weaver Courtyard, a garden that once served as a serene place of respite for campus visitors. However, the once-beautiful alcove on the eastern side of campus has become ragged, overgrown and decayed; hardly a place most passersby would notice, let alone enter for a breath of "fresh" garden air.
presented.
Students and faculty in the Museum, east of the Kansas Union, have become irritated with the unkempt nature of the courtyard. Bobbi Rahder, who works in the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies, and some of her students have worked on a proposal for Facilities Operations that would give them permission to turn the area into a "serenity garden" designed to celebrate different cultures. The proposal has not yet been
Mary J. Adair, Ph.D., associate curator for the Museum, said she is also unhappy with the condition of the garden. She offered the ideas of turning it into a garden for monarch butterflies or a garden for native plants. Either way, she said, changes need to be made.
"It's a poor reflection of this building to have it in the condition it's in," Adair said.
Arthur B. Weaver and Amarette Veatch donated the garden in 1960 in honor of their father, Arthur D. Weaver. Arthur D. Weaver owned the locally-renowned Weaver's Department Store Inc. He passed away on June 29th, 1951.
Approximately 10 years later, his children donated the Arthur D. Weaver Memorial Fountain Court in a ceremony that took place in the courtyard. In a statement found in the University of Kansas archives, it was said that "Since this memorial has been designed and planted with great attention to its appearance, it is hoped that visitors will cooperate fully with the University in SEE GARDEN ON PAGE 8
Photo courtesy Spencer Archives
This undated photo shows the Weaver Courtyard after its donation to the University in 1960. The courtyard, located next to the Museum of Anthropology in Spooner Hall, was a gift from the family who owned Weaver's Department Store, 901 Massachusetts St.