ISU Horticulture Club members have planted a black maple tree, hoping it will be a long-lasting tribute to a former dean.

The club members planted the tree Monday morning to honor David Topel, former dean of the College of Agriculture who retired earlier this semester. He’s planning to teach at Iowa State in the fall.

“Since Dean Topel retired this year and he has been very kind to the horticulture department, we decided to honor him by planting a tree as a living tribute,” said Brian Krug, president of the club.

Club members agreed that Topel has made many contributions to the horticulture department.

“It is an honor to be able to do something of this significance for Dean Topel,” said Amy Beerends, senior in horticulture. “He has supported the department for years — helping make it possible for more professors in the field.”

The club members decided on a tree to show their appreciation for Topel for many reasons.

“We wanted a physical reminder of his presence, and we wanted to commemorate Dean Topel’s tenure,” said Jeff Iles, adviser to the club.

Members said choosing a tree is a proper gesture. “We thought [the tree] would be an appropriate symbol,” said Janna Hogue, sophomore in horticulture.

The club members chose a black maple tree to show their respect, said Iles, associate professor of horticulture.

“We chose a long-lived species — it should live for many, many years,” he said. “The black maples are native to Iowa; it should blend in nicely with the surroundings.”

The tree was grown on a university farm near Gilbert and transferred to campus just south of Horticulture Hall. Iles said the tree will see a lot of growth in the years to come.

“The tree will grow 50 to 60 feet tall and at least that wide,” he said. “[In the fall], the color will be a range of yellow to orange.”

Krug, senior in horticulture, said the location of the tree was carefully planned.

“We wanted to have it by the horticulture building so the horticulture students will see it and remember Dean Topel instead of having it somewhere they would never see it,” he said.

The black maple is also replacing a tree that used to be in the same place, Krug said.

“There was a silver maple [in this spot] that was here for over 100 years,” he said. “There was an ice storm that took down the silver maple in 1990.”

The club members decided the location would be perfect for the new tree.

“We first wanted a tree for Dean Topel, and we thought this would be a good place to put the tree,” Krug said.

A dedication is planned for later this year.