T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund Vice President/Treasurer Lyle Jensen, left, and Marshall County Supervisor Steve Salasek, right, hold plaques designated for display in the Marshall County Courthouse at a “Bringing Back The Green” wrap-up event at the MACC on Saturday. The plaques contain the names of area businesses/organizations and MHS alumni that contributed to the campaign responsible for planting hundreds of trees around Marshalltown, replacing some of those lost following the 2018 tornado and 2020 derecho.

There’s been a lot more green in Marshalltown in recent years thanks to contributions from Marshalltown High School alums and area businesses and organizations.

As part of the MHS Class of 1969’s 55-year reunion on Saturday, a wrap-up celebration for the “Bringing Back the Green” fundraising initiative was held at the Monet Reception Hall in the Marshalltown Arts & Civic Center (MACC).

The 1969 class led the event, which resulted in a total of 854 trees and 778 shrubs/perennials planted throughout Marshalltown, including areas where many were lost due to the 2018 tornado and 2020 derecho.

Local leaders and representatives of the alumni classes and groups responsible for funding the project were invited to attend and be recognized for their efforts in the initiative, which started with the incorporation of the MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund Inc. non-profit organization in 2018.

The 15 total restoration projects in the MHS Bobcat Tree Restoration Legacy Fund Drive were funded by $127,500 in donations, including contributions from 33 total MHS alumni classes.

Some of the biggest projects were at the Iowa Veterans Home and the associated Valor Baseball Field.

Almost 200 trees were restored at the IVH and 30 more at the baseball field, where Marine Corps veteran and Class Arborist Bob Hougher threw out the first pitch at a youth baseball event in 2022.

“There’s been some great memories along the way of all the beneficiaries that we’ve had,” said Lyle Jensen, the Vice President and Treasurer of the alumni fund. “It definitely took a village to pull this together and have everybody be involved.”

Other large projects in the initiative included 130 trees gifted to JBS employees as Mother’s Day gifts for the private homes of employees’ wives and mothers, 128 trees planted at Marshalltown city parks and several large installations of trees at Marshall County parks, Marshalltown Community School District facilities and Park Place Condominiums.

The Class of 1969 had previously funded projects like the installation of the MHS electronic marquee in 2009 and associated landscaping around the installation in commemoration of the class’s 40-year reunion.

The idea for the restoration project came during an alumni planning committee in fall of 2018, when the Class of 1969 gathered to discuss possible legacy projects for the upcoming 50-year reunion.

“If you get to know us, you’ll know that we’re a very generous class that believes we can do good things not only for MHS, but in this case, for the community,” Jensen said.

Jensen recalled the feeling of driving around Marshalltown after the tornado and seeing the treelines decimated.

“Just a barren feeling of our tree canopy that so many people had grown up with and were used to,” he added.

The restoration project extended further after high winds ripped through Marshalltown in the 2020 derecho.

Whether through donations by community groups, discounts on tree stock from local nursery locations, or funds raised by the alumni classes, the project was deemed a major success.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER – Mayor Joel Greer, left, presents a “Tree to the City” to Lyle Jensen, right, to commemorate the Marshalltown High School Class of 1969’s work on leading the “Bringing Back the Green” campaign in the community.

In lieu of a key to the city, Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer presented a commemorative “Trees to the City” keepsake for Jensen.

“I think I can speak for the people that live here in Marshalltown that we really needed these trees,” Greer said.

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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.