Purdue News

October 29, 2001 Donor hopes new campus garden will foster interaction WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's newest outdoor space is designed to inspire the kind of thoughtful regard for others that was characteristic of its namesake. The Martha Christine Butler Interaction Garden, located just east of Stanley Coulter Hall, is a gift from the family of Martha "Marti" Butler, a 1973 Purdue graduate in humanities whose life was cut short by cancer in 1998. "One of the things she was best at was getting people to talk about themselves and then really listening to them," said Marti's husband, David Butler, a Purdue School of Pharmacy graduate (1974) from Cranbury, N.J. "It's my hope that this new garden will provide a comfortable place for people to gather for conversation or to just enjoy a few moments of quiet reflection on a busy day." The interaction garden is a $50,000 enhancement of the area immediately east of Stanley Coulter Hall. It features new limestone portals, a brick seating wall and wire-mesh seating configured in an L-shape to encourage interaction. Additional plantings will be added this spring. The design includes 10 cast bronze plaques along the existing concrete walkways – each one engraved with a quote from a world figure in politics, philanthropy or the arts. "The quotes were chosen very purposefully," Butler said. "The words encourage people to look outwardly and think about the ways that their lives impact those around them." An 11th plaque explains the concept behind the garden and encourages visitors to "reflect on the value of compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and respect for the people in your life." "The garden design is meant to create a sense of intimacy in what is a relatively open space," said landscape architect John D. Collier of Purdue's Department of Facilities Planning and Construction. "Marti's family hopes that the words inlaid in the pavement will foster interaction and conversation among people who regularly pass through this very central area of the campus." The new garden was initially scheduled for dedication Sept. 22 as part of the university's Family Weekend festivities, but the disruption of airline service following the terrorist attacks prevented many of the 35 family members from gathering in West Lafayette. The dedication ceremony will be rescheduled for sometime next year. Writer: Sharon A. Bowker, (765) 494-9723, sbowker@purdue.edu Sources: John D. Collier, 765 494-6882, jdcollier@purdue.edu David Butler, (908) 740-2225, l.david.butler@spcorp.com Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page