The Division of World Languages, Literatures, & Cultures Alumni Newsletter March 2022
Table of Contents: - 1 Day for Iowa - Taking Root in Iowa: The Anne Frank Tree - Follow us on Social Media!
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Taking Root in Iowa The Anne Frank Tree By Rin Swann
“I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and the other birds as they glide on the wind. As long as this exists… and I may live to see it, this sunshine, these cloudless skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy.”- Anne Frank, February 23, 1944
Over 75 years after Frank wrote those words, a sapling of the original chestnut tree Anne saw from her window will take root on the Pentecrest at the University of Iowa. The tree, which will be planted during Arbor Day on April 29th, will be greeted with a host of events, celebrations, and a planting ceremony. The original chestnut tree outlived Anne Frank by over fifty years. Long after her death, the tree remained a symbol of Anne Frank's message in Amsterdam. The Anne Frank House, the museum that documents the experience of Frank and her family, was built surrounding the annex where she and her family hid as well as the tree. Frank's Chestnut tree was considered to be one of the oldest in Amsterdam before it died in 2010 at the estimated age of 170. Prior to its death, seeds from the tree were germinated and saplings were sent to schools and organizations all over the world.
Anne Frank "To Anne, {the tree} represented life in the face of death, the freedom to blossom and prosper,” said Ronald Leopold, the executive director of the Anne Frank House on the UI Anne Frank Tree website. The University of Iowa is one of only thirteen locations in the United States to host a sapling. The tree will be planted on the northeast side of the Pentecrest near Phillips Hall.
The Work Behind the Tree The tree will arrive in Iowa due to the work of multiple organizational partners. They include the UI Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the Anne Frank Center USA, the UI Department of German, the UI Building and Landscape Service, Facilities Management, the UI Old Capitol Museum, Iowa Hillel, and Agudas Achim Synagogue, in addition to other donors and community members. However, the person who spearheaded the effort was German Department faculty member and Frank scholar, Dr. Kirsten Kumpf Baele. In her proposal to receive the tree, Kumpf Baele argued that a tree linked with one of the most famous writers of all time should be housed in Iowa City, which is a UNESCO City of Literature and the home of the Iowa Writers Workshop and International Writing Program.
The original Chestnut tree, as depicted on the UI Anne Frank Tree website.
Additionally, due to the work primarily conducted by UI arborist Andrew Dahl, the UI campus is recognized as a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation. Kumpf Baele also illustrated the importance of the location. The Pentecrest has historically been a location for youth-led peaceful protests over the years.
“Our campus has been heralded as a leader in university arboretums. Moreover, the sapling’s new home is a space of free speech and protest. I am certain that Anne would be proud.”
- Kumpf Baele in an email to The Daily Iowan in 2022.
Historical moments include the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the Anti-Apartheid Divestment strikes in the 1980s, and the more recent Black Lives Matter Movement. Kumpf Baele's request was accepted by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect’s Sapling Project in 2020. Following a long wait due to COVID, the tree will finally be planted this April. A host of celebratory events began in October of 2021 and will continue until the planting. They comprise of forums, writing contests, screenings, and guest lectures, among others.
Tree Campus USA stands outside of the Pentecrest
The Planting The planting will occur on Arbor Day, April 29th, beginning at 5pm, and will feature music and spokenword poetry along with speeches from University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson and Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liz Tovar, Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz, Dr. Kirsten Kumpf Baele, and Dr. Mary Cohen. This event is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to register here.
The UI is hosting a GOLDrush campaign to raise money for the ceremony. The GOLDrush campaign has reached over $5,000 of the $10,000 goal as of March 23rd. The link to donate is listed below. Links GOLDrush Campaign: The Anne Frank Sapling Project UI Anne Frank Tree: Taking Root in Iowa
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