Evie
Dyck - Hesston Arboretum founder dies at 88
Hesston College
HESSTON — A love for plants and an eye for the Kansas prairie's beauty were the
spark and vision for a treasured Hesston landmark left as Evie Dyck's ongoing
legacy with the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains. Dyck passed away April 7, at the
age of 88.
The Dyck Arboretum was a wheat field on the edge of town when Evie and her
husband, Harold, who passed away in 2007, donated its 31 acres to Hesston
College in 1981. After being inspired by a trip to the Bartlett Arboretum near
Belle Plaine, the Dycks wanted to create a place in Hesston where people of all
ages could enjoy nature, find a peaceful place for reflection and encourage a
greater understanding and appreciation of the prairie.
"They started the arboretum because of my mother's great love of the
Kansas prairie and the Great Plains and her spiritual connection to nature and
God's creation," said Julia (Dyck) Roupp, one of Harold and Evie's
daughters, in a 2007 interview following Harold's death.
Their vision has been recognized many times over for the thousands of people
who visit the arboretum each year for educational events, entertainment or
simple enjoyment of nature. Its location next to Schowalter Villa and a block
south of the college makes it a convenient place to unify people across the age
spectrum.
"Few communities the size of Hesston have a public garden," said
arboretum director Scott Vogt. "Evie had a love and appreciation for the
Kansas landscape. The Dyck Arboretum is a tremendous gift to the community and
has become a regional attraction. Her legacy is established in the arboretum
and will linger as it continues to flourish."
With many family and personal ties to Hesston College, as Evie and Harold Dyck
planned to make an arboretum in the community a reality as a non-profit
educational facility, gifting it to the college and operating with its business
and logistical supervision made sense. "This broadened the scope from
enjoyment to education and physical fitness," Evie Dyck said in 1999.
"Evie and Harold's gift of the arboretum to Hesston College has
contributed to student learning in many ways, as well as being an educational
and rejuvenating gift to the community," said Hesston College President
Howard Keim. "It has exceeded their dreams of 30 years ago and will always
pay tribute to their legacy and the kindness and generosity with which they
gave."
On October 11, 1981, the first of what would become many trees at the arboretum
was planted. Since then, the arboretum has matured into one of the largest
native plant gardens in the region, featuring more than 1,000 varieties of
native and adaptable vegetation. It has also expanded from 13 acres at its
inception to include the remaining 18 acres and added a visitors' center in
1999, a pavilion for events in 2011 and other features to assist in operations
and aesthetics.
Her connections and contributions to the college were many. She was a 1952 graduate
of Hesston Academy – the private high school that was part of the college for
many years — her son, Gary, was a graduate of both Hesston Academy and Hesston
College, and two of 11 grandchildren, Kate (Dyck) Brownstone and Connor Dyck,
are also Hesston College graduates. The daughter of Elmer (E.D.) and Amy (Erb)
Hershberger, her grandfather, T.M. Erb, was Hesston College's first business
manager and several other relatives were longtime Hesston instructors. Evie
served on the college board, and she and Harold enjoyed hosting students in
their home. They were also members of Hesston Mennonite Church on the edge of
the college campus.
In 1985, the Dycks established an endowment fund to help with the upkeep and
growth of the arboretum so it can continue to be a gift to the community for
years to come. The endowment is supported annually by about 600 patrons through
membership.
"Evie's wishes and vision live on in the plants, landscapes, buildings and
educational programs," Vogt said. "This garden gives visitors a sense
of place. We hope visitors will leave this garden with a renewed appreciation
of the cultural and natural history of the Great Plains."
