Dartmouth will honor the lives of students, faculty, and staff who have died with the dedication of a memorial tree next week.

The ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on May 15 at the site of the tree planting outside Rollins Chapel, and all members of the community are welcome to attend. The names of those who have died since 2020 will be read aloud.

The program will be led by the Rev. Nancy A.G. Vogele ’85, chaplain and director of the William Jewett Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Living, who will deliver remarks to commemorate the memory of those lives lost and their wide-ranging and valuable contributions to Dartmouth. The names of recently deceased community members will be read aloud by classmates and colleagues representing academic departments and administrative offices across campus. 

“This gathering is an opportunity for us to come together and reflect on those from our Dartmouth community whom we’ve lost. While the tree will be a way to remember all, we will be naming those who have died since 2020. I hope this tree and the bench that will be located near it will serve as a place for anyone to go and remember their loved ones,” Vogele says. 

The memorial tree, a Winter King hawthorn, which bears white flowers in the spring and red berries in the fall, will be planted north of Rollins Chapel, near the garden honoring Half and Susanne Zantop. 

In addition, a bench in memory of members of the Class of 2024 who have died will be dedicated in early June near the memorial tree. 

The Class of 2024 Class Council is planning a celebration of life to commemorate the memory of their classmates. These memorials are made possible with support from the Advancement and Student Affairs divisions.