2009 College of Ag Closing Social and Park Naming Ceremony

The students of the College of Agriculture were lucky that the weather held out just long enough for their closing social and naming ceremony, put on by new Ag Senator, Amy Petersen, on April 22.  The event included music, a steak dinner and Aggie ice cream. 

The event was held at the mini park located between the Dale and Adele Young Greenhouse and the baseball fields.  The idea for the park was provided by Dean Cockett in 2007, who also provided funding.  The 2007-2008 Ag Council, led by Lisa Woodworth, got the ball rolling by having a fundraiser, clearing some trees, and providing additional help that first year.  Dr. Craig Aston of the Plants, Soils, and Climate (PSC) department, provided the plans, desire, and most of the labor.  The 2008-2009 Ag Council, led by Braden Jensen, also provided much of the labor. 

In honor of Dr. Aston's hard work and dedication, the park was named after him.  The naming of the park was a surprise to Dr. Aston.  Braden Jensen and Dr. Teryl Roper, head of the PSC department, unveiled a plaque bearing the park's new name, the D. Craig Aston Park. 

Dr. Aston says about the surprise, “I don’t know if I have ever been more completely surprised in my life than when they uncovered the poster and I saw my name.  It is an incredible honor and I really appreciate those who made this happen.  It has really been great to work with Braden and the other students in the department; they have really done a lot of the work on this project.” 

“The park is in its early stages of development and will continue to grow and be improved over the next few years.  Most  of the work on the park will be done by the students as part of our new Landscape Construction class.  In addition to the grass area, fire-pit and picnic areas, we plan to have some very nice flower beds and landscape plantings.  I really think that the park will be quite dynamic from the standpoint that it will be ever-changing and expanding,” says Aston.

“Craig Aston is richly deserving of this honor,” says Dr. Roper.  “He has been the mainstay of teaching in our ornamental horticulture program.  He has both breadth and depth that he brings to the classroom each semester.”

Roper continues, “This park is really a result of Craig’s vision for this corner.  The first piece was the updated teaching greenhouses.  The second piece is this park that will be an outdoor laboratory for landscape design and construction students for years to come.”

Lisa Woodworth, USU's 2007-2008 College of Ag Senator, adds, "I am thrilled that the park was named after Craig Aston, he is very deserving of this honor. He was very excited about the project from the get-go. He is an excellent teacher and a pleasure to work with.  I am very grateful I was able to help with the park during its initial planning. The park will be an wonderful facility for students and faculty in the College of Agriculture. It is beautiful and conveniently located on campus. I hope it will become a hub of activity for the college."