Auburn University faculty, staff and students aim to rejuvenate Crooked Oaks’ nursery operations with the matching gift funds generated through Auburn’s 2025 Tiger Giving Day project on September 10.
Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE) has received a matching gift from the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation (UMB4AU) to support a restoration project underway at Crooked Oaks, the former homestead of Auburn’s beloved football coach, Pat Dye.
The CFWE was gifted the 415-acre property in 2023. Located in Notasulga, Alabama, not far from Auburn’s main campus, Crooked Oaks now serves as a living legacy to Dye’s vision to provide hands-on learning experiences for Auburn students.
Devoted to education
Born from fellowship and a shared devotion to education, the Birmingham-based UMB4AU foundation is humble but very serious about its mission to support Auburn.
The founding directors of UMB4AU, Dan Lovell and David Pursell, are passionate about the charity’s mission to fund activities that benefit Auburn faculty, students, athletes and facilities, and have significantly contributed to numerous projects that advanced the university and its academic programs.
By virtue of a recent discussion with CFWE Development Director Heather Crozier, one of the original foundation members, Jay Evers, connected with Coach’s intent for Crooked Oaks and championed the restoration initiative with the directors.
Like other successful philanthropic endeavors, the foundation hopes its gift will galvanize the Auburn community to donate the matching funds required to complete the project during Auburn’s 2025 Tiger Giving Day crowdfunding event this fall.
Love of the land
As a fellow nature lover and former high school football player, Evers feels a kinship with Dye, whom he knew personally.
“You know, he moved from one season to another, and I know football gave him great pleasure,” said Evers. “But, if you asked him how he identified, he would probably lean more towards the land than he would football.”
Auburn’s famed football coach Pat Dye is shown with one of the Japanese maples he planted throughout Crooked Oaks.
Dye began developing the property in 1998 with his partner, Nancy McDonald and continued to improve all aspects of the land until his passing in 2020. The Tiger Giving Day project will restore the cherished Japanese maple nursery that Dye had planted himself.
Crooked Oaks’ Manager N.L. Hart feels the project will ensure the property maintains the horticultural integrity envisioned by Dye and McDonald as an educational and recreational resource.
Developing a community resource
“These funds will be crucial to enable our staff and students to improve the infrastructure and layout of the nursery to optimize both its functionality and accessibility,” said Hart. “This includes installing and repairing irrigation systems for the various gardens and drainage areas that will prevent erosion.”
True to Dye’s vision, providing student experiential learning opportunities will be a cornerstone of the project.
The Crooked Oaks staff and Auburn faculty in the CFWE and the College of Agriculture will engage graduate and undergraduate students to develop the nursery and assist with grafting new Japanese maple seedlings and other species that will be featured.
Hart said the Crooked Oaks nursery is presently offering numerous Japanese maple cultivars and Camellia sasanqua, japonica and hybrid cultivars for sale, with future plans to diversify the inventory.
To complete the Tiger Giving Day project, Crooked Oaks will require high-quality supplies and materials, such as grafting tools, soil amendments, multi-purpose gardening tools and shade material to enhance the overall gardening process.
Additionally, a key component of the project is to revitalize the existing greenhouse that will be used for overwintering seedlings and other plants. The anticipated cost for the projects is estimated to be more than $100,000.
Sharing a legacy
“UMB4AU’s matching gift will have a tremendous impact at Crooked Oaks that will benefit the college, its students and academic programs,” said Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the CFWE. “On Tiger Giving Day, we are hopeful the Auburn Family will help us exceed the match required to leverage UMB4AU’s generous donation to restore Coach’s beloved gardens.”
This year, Auburn University will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tiger Giving Day on September 10. During the popular crowdfunding event, the community is invited to support various projects that will change lives on campus, in our communities and across the state.
“When you think about all the different facets in the opportunities out there for people to be involved, whether they’re bird hunting or buying plants or having a corporate retreat or whatever it is, there’s a legacy we can all share in from now on, and as long as there is planet Earth, there will be Crooked Oaks,” said Evers.
Individuals who wish to participate in this campaign or to learn about additional giving opportunities may contact Heather Crozier at (334) 740-9522 or vannhea@auburn.edu. For more information about Crooked Oaks or to inquire about nursery sales, visit the Crooked Oaks website.
While developing Crooked Oaks, Coach Pat Dye and his partner, Nancy McDonald, created a two-acre retreat called Quail Hollow Garden, which features walking paths that wind among 200 mature Japanese maple specimens of 71 Japanese maple cultivars interspersed with other trees and flowering shrubs.
