{"id":55816,"date":"2026-10-31T17:18:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=55816"},"modified":"2026-10-31T17:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:23:26","slug":"moon-tree-dedication-connects-tarleton-state-to-space-exploration-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/moon-tree-dedication-connects-tarleton-state-to-space-exploration-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Moon Tree Dedication Connects Tarleton State to Space Exploration History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A piece of space exploration history has taken root at Tarleton State University following the dedication of an American sycamore Moon Tree on campus today. The ceremony welcomed Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, his wife, Dotty, and Rosemary Roosa, president of the Moon Tree Foundation and daughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, to celebrate a living symbol of discovery, perseverance and the pursuit of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley (left), Dotty Duke, Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, Moon Tree Foundation President Rosemary Roosa and Mayfield College of Engineering Dean Rafael Landaeta celebrate the dedication of an American sycamore Moon Tree outside the Dick Smith Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planted on the lawn outside the Dick Smith Library, near the recently completed expansion, the Moon Tree connects Tarleton State to NASA’s legacy of space exploration while offering future generations of students an opportunity to explore the possibilities of scientific discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, we are planting more than a tree. We are planting a symbol of possibility, perseverance, and the extraordinary things that can happen when people believe in something bigger than themselves,\u201d said Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley. \u201cMay this tree stand for generations as a reminder that our roots can be firmly planted in Texas while our aspirations reach far beyond the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original Moon Trees trace their history to NASA’s Apollo 14 mission in 1971, when astronaut Stuart Roosa carried hundreds of tree seeds into lunar orbit as part of a joint project with the U.S. Forest Service. Following their return to Earth, the seeds were germinated and planted across the country. The legacy has continued through subsequent generations of Moon Trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur motto is ‘Planting the seeds of Inspiration,’ and we are pleased to be planting a moon tree at Tarleton State today,\u201d said Rosemary. \u201cThese moon trees represent the successes, the courage, and the failures and sacrifices of our space program. But most importantly, it represents the triumphs of the Apollo moon program. May this moon tree inspire generations of students to dream boldly, explore courageously and remember that the spirit of discovery is rooted right here on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dedication further strengthens Tarleton State’s connection to the space exploration community, following the establishment of its partnership with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) in January, sponsored by Charlie and Dotty Duke. Earlier this year, Tarleton State senior Sadie Shudde, a math and computer science double major, was named the university’s first ASF recipient, earning a $15,000 scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the partnership, students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics gain access to scholarship support, astronaut mentorship and professional networking opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt Tarleton State, we talk often about being Made for More,\u201d Hurley said. \u201cTo me, that means refusing to place limits on what our students can achieve. It means creating opportunities, encouraging curiosity, and preparing graduates who have the confidence to pursue goals that others might consider out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A piece of space exploration history has taken root at Tarleton State University following the dedication of an American sycamore Moon Tree on campus today. The ceremony welcomed Apollo 16 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":595,"featured_media":55818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":382,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,421],"tags":[452,456],"class_list":["post-55816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-featuredstories","tag-mayfield-college-of-engineering","tag-stephenville"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"jpartin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/jpartin\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/10\/Moon-Tree-Dedication.jpg-300x200.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_Homepage<\/a>","Featured Stories<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_Homepage<\/span>","Featured Stories<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Mayfield College of Engineering<\/a>","Stephenville<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Mayfield College of Engineering<\/span>","Stephenville<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 10 hours ago","modified":"Updated 10 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on October 31, 2026","modified":"Updated on October 31, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on October 31, 2026 5:18 pm","modified":"Updated on October 31, 2026 5:23 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/595"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55816"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55823,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55816\/revisions\/55823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}