Officials from Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton Arboretum and Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum gathered under a sunny sky 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,” said President Fram Virjee at the Oct. 22 celebration. “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 recalls the original gift of $49,395 from James and Virgie Bacon in 1985 to create an endowment for the arboretum. 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.
