Officials from Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton Arboretum and Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum gathered under a sunny sky Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the garden’s visitor entrance to celebrate the transfer of a $1.4 million gift from the Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum to the university’s philanthropic foundation for use by the 26-acre botanical garden.
“This is such a wonderful marker for Fullerton Arboretum,” President Fram Virjee remarked. “At the town hall for the master planning process yesterday, I was so glad to be able to talk about the role that Fullerton Arboretum will play in the future of Cal State Fullerton. I’m looking forward to the arboretum thriving — and being a place for not only our faculty and students to learn and relax, but for our community as well.”
The funding represents the original gift of $49,395 from James and Virgie Bacon in 1985 to create an endowment to “provide monies to assist in the operational and education activities of the arboretum.” Over the years the original gift has been augmented and stewarded by the Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum.
Greg Dyment, arboretum director, explained that the gift will be used for arboretum operations, and is especially significant because the city of Fullerton’s support for the arboretum ceases in December 2020.
“It’s because of members and donors like James and Virgie Bacon that we’re able to continue doing what we do into the future, so we’re very appreciative.”