Garden with flowers, bird feeders, and copper plates.

Student playing trumpet in campus garden.

Tree with white flowers in campus garden.

Students pulling weeds in campus garden.

CAMPUS MEMORY GARDEN

In honor of Mary Beth Mackin

The UW-Whitewater Campus Memory Garden is a place to celebrate, honor and remember our fellow Warhawks.

Located across from the entrance to The Young near the corner of Main and Prince streets, the garden contains a Memory Wall that memorializes both current students, staff and faculty members we have lost, as well as Warhawks who have made and are making significant contributions to our campus.

Established in 2017 in honor of former Dean of Students Mary Beth Mackin, the garden is a place of reflection and repose. It is also a place of celebration — the tassels that appear on the columns every commencement are a popular backdrop for graduation photos.

Adirondack chair

This Adirondack chair was built by the late Rod Berg, master craftsman and longtime supporter of Warhawks Athletics, with materials generously donated by Home Lumber.

Bird feeding sculpture

The Campus Memory Garden was designed and built around the bird feeding sculpture, a tree made out of rebar that was a student’s project for a metals class in the early 2000s. The copper leaves on the sculpture reflect donations to the bird seed fund.

Garden columns

The columns in the garden and the architectural capitals atop them were recovered from the fire that destroyed portions of Old Main on February 7, 1970.

Learn more about UWW history

Memory Wall

Copper plates on the Memory Wall in the garden recognizes members of the Warhawk family — students, faculty and staff — who have left us too soon. The wall also honors achievements, extraordinary memories and milestones of our campus community and alumni.

View plates

Tassels

Purple tassels are added to the columns every May Commencement for that perfect celebration of Warhawk pride!

Support and recognize

Ways to support and recognize people in the garden

Remembering a Warhawk
Those who wish to recognize a member of the Warhawk family in the garden should contact MemoryGarden@uww.edu to learn more.

Charitable donations can be made any time. Donations are used to replace plants, support general garden upkeep and to provide a copper plate at no charge for the family of any current student who loses their life, so that they may honor their Warhawk on the Memory Wall.

Give now

Give online. Designate "Mary Beth Mackin Memorial Garden."
Give by mail. Make a check out to "UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc.", indicate "Memory Garden-Mary Beth Mackin" on the check, and mail it to:
UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc.
800 W. Main Street
Whitewater, WI 53190

Using the memory garden

Student reading on bench in campus garden.

Out of respect for the memory of those whose passing inspired the garden, the Campus Memory Garden is intended to be a place of tranquility and veneration.

Examples of appropriate uses include: Performances, occasional classroom use, candlelight vigils, special occasions, etc. Use of the space is at the discretion of UW-Whitewater and must follow all university policies.

To reserve the garden for an appropriate use, please contact the University Center Reservations Office at 262-472-1175 or rooms@uww.edu. There is no fee.

Care of the garden

Flowers in the Memory Garden.

The Campus Memory Garden is cared for by volunteers, with the assistance and support of the university grounds and landscaping crew.

Members of the campus and general community are welcome to join us! Questions? Contact us at MemoryGarden@uww.edu.

Memory Wall

The Memory Wall in the garden recognizes members of the Warhawk family — students, faculty and staff — who have left us too soon. The wall also honors achievements, extraordinary memories and milestones of our campus community and alumni. To learn more about how to add to the Memory Wall please email MemoryGarden@uww.edu.

How do I submit information for a memory plate?

The copper plates on the Memory Wall in the Campus Memory Garden are an opportunity for friends, family members, colleagues and loved ones to celebrate the achievements of members of the Warhawk family and to remember those we have lost.

Ordering a copper plate
Plates in memory of enrolled students who have passed are offered free of charge. The Dean of Students Office or other campus contact generally works with the student’s family to determine what wording they would like on the plate. For other requests, there is a $250 charge to cover the cost of the copper plate plus a small contribution to the garden fund. Please contact MemoryGarden@uww.edu to initiate a request.

After the request is approved, the Campus Memory Garden team works with the requester to revise and approve the verbiage before it is sent to the plate manufacturer. The requester will then have the opportunity to review a PDF proof for approval before the plate is set in copper. Once the proof is approved, the copper plate is generally sent to campus and installed within 1-2 weeks. Once it is, the requester is notified, and a photo of the plate is uploaded to the website.

Copper plate verbiage
The total word count is 30-55 words; the average is 45 words. (The more words, the more crowded the plate and smaller the font will be.) Please don’t include birth or death dates; the verbiage should focus on the individual’s connection to campus.

Generally speaking, the format is:
FULL NAME
Role, class of, department, etc.
Verbiage about the student or faculty/staff member.

A number of examples of copper plates are available below.