Everyone working on our main campus is aware that there is an abundance of beauty to enjoy throughout the grounds. Gardens have been thoughtfully created for purposes that range from memorial to function.
The Lorraine G. Allan Memorial Garden, created in 2013, was inspired by an honoured alumna and beloved faculty member. She was that wonderful combination of both professor and alumna, having obtained her PhD at McMaster and subsequently began her long career in the Department of Psychology here in 1971.
Her passing in 2012 inspired her colleagues to create a place on campus where they can remember her, that reflected her deep connections to her research, her family and friends, and her colleagues. The grounds team, together with the Alumni office and Dr. Shepard Siegel, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, worked to create a garden outside the Psychology building to reflect Lorraine’s deep connections to her research, her friends and family, and her lengthy service to the university.
The garden, like Lorraine, has many dimensions. You’ll see formulae etched into stones representing the unique areas of her research in psychophysics, the study of time perception, casual learning, and perceptual aftereffects.
A garden and plaque honour her broad and deep administrative contributions to the university over her career through MUFA, the Board of Governors and Senate, and in the Department of Psychology. Inscriptions with first names pay tribute to her dear family and friends, as well as Yiddish proverbs and five butterflies that represent her closest friends.
Each element of the garden tells a larger story, and if you are interested you can find more information here.
We are fortunate on campus to be discovering new gardens every year. Just this week we’ve had a new pollinator garden created – by students! – open on campus. You can read more about that here.
