Spots like Tulip Walk were designed to make Scripps a meditative respite鈥攁nd our donors are key to that vision.
By Emily Glory Peters
Scripps鈥� serene surroundings are arguably as meaningful to our students as the content of our curriculum. Our founder, Ellen Browning Scripps, firmly believed the beauty of the grounds should 鈥渟eep into students鈥� consciousness鈥濃�攁s though nature itself would give ingress to deeper academic reflection. Landscape Operations Manager Joya Salas and her team kept this vision in mind when, with support from past donors, they restored a special spot on campus this summer.
鈥淢any people aren鈥檛 familiar with Tulip Walk by name, but it was drawn into the original landscape blueprints of the College and was installed during the initial construction of campus in the early 1930s,鈥� Salas says of the restoration project. Located along a corridor near the president鈥檚 office, this walk once boasted not tulips, but a double row of Liriondendron tulipfera鈥擜merican tulip trees whose distinctive blooms resemble the flower.
The walk鈥檚 restoration is part of a larger, phased strategy to address the aging tree collections on campus. Compromised by disease and structural issues, Salas explains, seven of the 22 original trees along Tulip Walk have been removed over the last century, and she and Vice President for Business Affairs/Treasurer Dean Calvo concluded that restoring the path to its prior glory would be the perfect starting point.
With a dedensified campus due to COVID-19, timing was ideal鈥攁nd thanks to Scripps donors, funding wasn鈥檛 a barrier.
鈥淭he grounds department is fortunate to have donor funds that impact multiple landscaping projects across campus,鈥� says Salas. 鈥淭wo of the largest that supported Tulip Walk are the Glen and Gloria Holden Maintenance Fund and the Jean Bixby Smith Campus Heritage Fund.鈥�
Life Trustee Jean Bixby Smith 鈥�59, whose sister Barbara and mother Betty were also alumnae, noted her family鈥檚 affection for the College grounds. Bixby Smith called Scripps 鈥渁n intriguing, mystical place of possibilities,鈥� and followed in her mother鈥檚 footprints by endowing a fund to support campus preservation projects like Tulip Walk.
Life Trustee Gloria Holden was similarly generous in her family鈥檚 decades-long devotion to the College, with their endowed fund helping with the beautification and upkeep of Scripps鈥� buildings and grounds. The Holden鈥檚 donation not only supplied considerable funding to refresh Tulip Walk, but in recent years was used for other undertakings, including the creation of an outdoor gathering space between several residential halls and the renovation of the Rose Garden with waterwise plants, drip irrigation, and a myrtus hedge to recapture the original path from Dorsey Hall to Toll Hall.
Honoring these historic details is the hallmark of Salas鈥� work across campus. She and her team regularly consult Scripps鈥� early layouts and photos to ensure the College鈥檚 current landscape reflects its aesthetic past. It鈥檚 a worthy effort, she says, but one which takes considerable time, budgeting, and intention.
鈥淜ey areas around Scripps are in the National Register of Historic Places, but I also think of Tulip Walk as being historic. In line with our tree replacement policy of 鈥榣ike for like,鈥� we decided that if we remove trees, they must be replaced with the same species, if possible,鈥� she says. Initially afraid she鈥檇 find nothing but saplings of this uncommon tree, Salas was delighted to discover just what she needed鈥斺�済orgeous, well-developed鈥� tulip trees that are currently in full bloom on campus.
That means the Scripps community will have to wait a while longer to view the elusive blooms for themselves. Still, there will be a treat in store for returning students, staff, faculty, and visitors come campus reopening this fall semester.
鈥淭ulip trees are deciduous and change color with the seasons鈥攕o the leaves will become a bright rusty-yellow in autumn,鈥� she says. 鈥淪omething to look forward to!鈥�
The Scripps Fund supports essential campus enhancements and preservation to keep the College grounds at their best. To support these efforts, please click .