New WSU Book by Bill Meyer & Tom Grier

Book Released -- Campus Of Trees: Winona State University

In February 2011, Winona State University released a new book about the variety and beauty of the trees that are found all over the university grounds. “Campus of Trees: Winona State University,” was written by Bill Meyer and Tom Grier, and photographed by Tom Grier.

The 127-page hardcover book includes 29 articles about specific trees on campus with a photo of the tree itself, and three photos of its unique aspects: the fruit, flower, bark, leaves, etc. Also included are directions for three self-guided tree tours of campus, as well as an introduction by Winona State University President Judith Ramaley, and a foreword by Gary Johnson, University of Minnesota professor of urban and community forestry.

The book includes a list of all trees considered native to Minnesota; at least one of each are growing on the WSU campus. In addition the book includes an article and photos of the many colorful crabapple trees on campus, and another feature that focuses on the wide variety of non-native trees that thrive on WSU grounds.

Authors Meyer and Grier held a book launch event in mid-February at the WSU Bookstore. The authors visited with people who came to purchase the book and autographed copies of the book. Meyer is a retired senior groundskeeper at WSU; Grier is a WSU professor of mass communication and teaches journalism and photojournalism courses.

“Campus of Trees” may be purchased online for $20 at the WSU Bookstore website: www.wsubookstore.com. All proceeds benefit the WSU Tree Fund, which is used to maintain tree diversity on campus and care for or replace damaged or diseased trees.

For more information, contact Tom Grier via e-mail: tgrier@winona.edu.

Below are images of a few of the tree features from the book.

Travel Day 1 - Heading West

The van was loaded yesterday with all the gear we need for our Navajo Oral History project documentaries and today (Thursday, May 13, 2010), I hit the road heading west.

I drove out of Winona on I-90, and literally within one mile of getting on the Interstate, it started raining, and the highway was down to one lane due to road construction. The orange road construction barriers continued for many miles, and the rain continued for almost the entire time I was on the road today. There were a couple short respites from the rain, but they were brief.

Along the route, I made a few stops to photograph some beautiful old courthouses in some small towns. I've long had an interest in the stately old courthouses that serve as a real centerpiece for many communities.

Faribault County Courthouse - Blue Earth, Minn.

Martin County Courthouse - Fairmont, Minn.

Pipestone County Courthouse - Pipestone, Minn.

For the past few years, whenever I travel, I try to get off the four-lane freeways and follow the smaller U.S. and state highways into county seats, watching for their courthouses. Then I walk around the courthouse looking for the best angle to photograph the building. Once in awhile a local police officer or sheriff's deputy will stop and ask what I'm doing. I suppose it can look odd to see a guy like me carrying a backpack around a courthouse, and sometimes lurking in bushes or laying in a street. Once I explain that I'm a college professor who teaches photography, and that I just enjoy taking pictures of great old buildings, they smile and let me go about my business.

I've upload many of my courthouse images -- and other roadside oddities that catch my interest -- to Google Earth. More than 200 of my images have been placed in the Google Earth mapping system.

Today, In addition to several courthouses in Minnesota and South Dakota, I got a nice photo of a huge Green Giant statue in Blue Earth, Minn.

I stopped for the night in the middle of South Dakota, and plan to head south into Nebraska tomorrow.

All of this travel is fun and interesting, and I'm learning from books on CD while I drive. It's all preamble to the important work the Winona State University and Diné College students will do beginning next week on the Navajo Nation.