SMC Landmark Wins Noble Tree Contest

A long-standing figure on the Spartanburg Methodist College campus was recently elevated from everyday fixture to nobility with the click of a shutter.

The deodar cedar tree near the center of campus that decades of SMC students have surely spent some time under – or likely in – took the grand prize in the Noble Tree Foundation’s annual Nobel Trees of Spartanburg Contest thanks to a photo submitted by Dan Abraham, evening academic computer lab assistant at SMC.

“I have always admired that tree, from the first day I set foot on campus,” Abraham said. “I could not think of another tree that was more suited for the Noble Tree contest than this one.”

The Noble Tree Foundation was founded in 1999 by Roger Milliken to promote education and activities relating to the knowledge and planting of Noble Trees in Spartanburg County. The Foundation’s annual contest helps recognize the largest and most notable specimen trees in the county.

“I found the contest quite by accident when I was doing a little research about the tree,” Abraham said. But he was convinced that the grand tree that sits outside SMC’s Chapel was worthy of the Noble Tree designation. “I was thrilled that the tree won.”

The annual contest provides the Foundation with an opportunity to map out these grand trees, which they describe as tall, substantial trees that will endure for generations and become fixtures in a landscape. The cedar tree at SMC fits the description as it’s estimated to be more than a century old and is certainly one of the more memorable landmarks on the campus.

As the winner of the contest, the Foundation made a donation to Hatcher Garden in Abraham’s name for $2,500 to continue promoting conservation.