The Marshall County Courthouse got a special delivery of hardwood trees, evergreen trees, flowering shrubs, day lilies and prairie grasses bright and early Wednesday morning, and all of the items are set to be planted around the town square in the weeks to come.

Members of the Marshalltown High School (MHS) Class of 1969, who came together shortly after the July 2018 tornado to form the nonprofit MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund Incorporated, carefully oversaw the delivery of the plants.

This alumni fund was a part of their Class Legacy Project, which marked their 50th class reunion, and they decided to focus specifically on raising money for Marshalltown tree restoration projects. Those funds have resulted in the donation of trees and plants to numerous locations around town including the Iowa Veterans Home, Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) buildings and the American Legion Freedom Trail.

The Marshall County Courthouse town square is just the latest area to benefit from the MHS class of 1969’s commitment to their community. Lyle Jensen, the vice president and treasurer for the alumni fund, is looking forward to “bringing back the green” in Marshalltown, even though he no longer resides here.

“I grew up in Marshalltown, and the courthouse town square was really a community center for activity. Back in the day (we had) band concerts and choral concerts, and it was just a beautiful tree shaded area,” Jensen said.

With all of the tree damage first from the tornado and then the derecho in 2020, the shaded Marshalltown the Class of ’69 remembers is a thing of the past.

“I’ve lived on Jerome Street by the Vets Home for 44 years, and I used to walk uptown in the shade. Now I can’t find a lick of shade,” class arborist Terry Floren Gray said.

The Class of 1969 is on its way to changing that, though Jensen added that the success of the MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund would not have been possible without the support of the community — including donations from 30 different MHS Alumni classes, local businesses, private citizens and grant funding.

Jensen said the tree restoration drive raised over $130,000, and their goal is to plant over 1,000 new trees in Marshalltown that will last a lifetime.

“As you get older, you want to really try to do things that have a lasting value, and what better than — I mean, these trees you see right here, this is going to be a 50-to-80-year benefit to the town. We wanted legacy, and we wanted something of value,” Jensen said.

The 1969 MHS alumni class received approval from the Marshall County Board of Supervisors to donate the trees and other plants, and Jensen said they had worked closely with the board to ensure they were happy with the types of plants being donated.

The class of ’69 is hoping to donate trees for the upcoming State Street reconstruction project as well. For those who would like to contribute, donations can be sent to the MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund, PO Box 287, Winterset, Iowa, 50273, or call Jensen at (515) 468-9631.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.