The Board of Trustees approved a gift of land from an emeritus professor of botany and approved the $3.26 million expenditure to resurface the track at O’Brien Field on Nov. 18.

After teaching botany courses at Eastern for 27 years, Wesley Whiteside furthered his contribution by giving Eastern farmland and botanical gardens.

Whiteside said he thought the gift of land of about 30 acres would serve as a great asset for the university. He said he began acquiring portions of the land in 1962.

“It is a display area of trees, shrubs, flowers and farmland, and I am sure the university will be able to find many uses for it,” Whiteside said.

During the meeting, President Bill Perry said the Whiteside garden is a local botanical resource for education and research.

“Graduate and undergraduate students in the field of biological sciences will have the opportunity to do research and community outreach at these botanical gardens, and the farmland portion can be rented for cash crops or utilized for research in growing select crops,” Perry said.

Some organizations that use the land besides Eastern include Lakeland College, the Coles County Historical Society, the Coles County Arts Council and the Coles County Master Gardeners, he said.

“Wes is loved and admired by his students and gardeners throughout the region, and this really is a unique cultural and historical treasure that must be preserved and maintained for use by our future generations,” Perry said. “Now EIU stands to do that preservation and maintenance.”

Whiteside said he used to bring students to his land on field trips in the spring to show them the various wild flowers that were in bloom.

Trustee Leo Welch is a former student of Whiteside, and he said Whiteside’s passion for botany and commitment to students contributed to his becoming a biologist.

Trustee Kristopher Goetz, who was appointed on Oct. 24, said he thought Whiteside’s gift of land presented at his first Board of Trustees meeting was a generous reminder of Eastern’s continuing legacy.

“It was enlightening for me to understand what a collegial, friendly relationship the faculty and board members have and how we are singularly united in pursuit of the same vision that EIU is,” he said.

Goetz said significant moments that happen at Eastern can change one’s life forever. He said one of his moments was meeting his wife during the first semester of his freshman year.

“I have some of the best memories of my life at Eastern and I always wondered how I might give back,” Goetz said.

After accepting the gift of land, the Board of Trustees approved the $3.26 million expenditure to resurface the track at O’Brien Stadium. This project includes the demolition and replacement of the track along with modified bleachers allowing track events to be moved to the exterior of the track.

William Weber, the vice president for business affairs, said the source for the $3.26 million is a combination of local and income funds.

“Part of the project will be funded from campus improvement fees from last year that have lapsed into our income fund this year, and the other significant source of funds is from carryover income from last Fiscal Year,” Weber said.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or rjrodgers@eiu.edu.