President Henry Sturgis Drinker
The presence and diversity of Lehigh’s stately trees can be traced back to the efforts of the university’s fifth president, Henry Sturgis Drinker, an 1871 Lehigh graduate. Drinker, who was trained as an engineer, had a deep interest in forestry. He was moved by the growing blight of the majestic chestnut trees that dotted Lehigh’s campus when he was president in 1905, and he authorized funds for the reforestation of Packer Campus and Sayre Park. Under his leadership the arboretum and tree plantation were established.
Read more about Henry Sturgis Drinker's conservation efforts in the Environmental STEPS exhibit.