Nazareth College Dedicates the Garen Peace Garden
Nazareth College celebrated the dedication of the Garen Peace Garden during its Homecoming and Reunion weekend on Sept. 16. The garden, funded by Frank York and Kathy Garen, is named in honor of Jim and Judy Garen by the couple’s four daughters and their families. The centerpiece of the garden is a renovated stone fountain, accessed by naturalized stone and brick pathways and surrounded by a striking stone amphitheater. Landscaping crews worked all spring and summer to create the amphitheater. Behind the amphitheater are lush gardens, with some of the Garens’ favorite perennial flowers, designed to bloom year after year.
The Garen Peace Garden fountain was built in the first half of the 20th century by a mason hired by Nazareth’s founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph. The mason used fieldstone of varied sizes, which he brought over from an old barn on French Road to create a handsome, rustic concrete-lined fountain pond in the southwest lawn of the Motherhouse, which is now the Golisano Academic Center.
Over the years, the fountain fell into disuse. Dirt and debris collected, resulting in tree saplings growing through cracked concrete.The fountain was rediscovered in 1989 and the grounds crew became intrigued with its restoration. For nearly a decade the crew worked in their spare time, restoring the fountain to its former beauty. After only a year or two of operation the fountain once again was abandoned until its current restoration in the spring and summer of 2017.
Today, the Garen Peace Garden warmly greets visitors as they enter campus via North Campus Drive. For the Nazareth community, it provides a beautiful and serene setting for outside classes, informal student gatherings, small concerts, and quiet moments of study or reflection.
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
The completed Garen Peace Garden.