Ideas that Take Root — The Giving Man and Tree
Well over 100 years old, the Aggie Century Tree was one of the first trees planted on Texas A&M’s massive 5,200-acre campus.
To celebrate Arbor Day, The Woodlander wanted to share with you a little story about a special man and a big tree in College Station, Texas.
The man’s name is Andy Duffie. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1978. The tree is known as the Century Tree. Well over 100 years old, this iconic tree was one of the first trees planted on Texas A&M’s massive 5,200-acre campus. It’s a magnificent tree to behold—often a place where Aggies propose marriage and/or come to reflect and relax.
In 2010 Andy visited his beloved alma mater. He was walking under the Century Tree’s giant dropping branches and marveling at the myriad acorns strewn on the ground. Suddenly, he got the idea to scoop up and harvest some of the acorns with the intention of growing young Century Tree seedlings from them. His plan was to then sell the tree seedlings to Aggies across the country and use the proceeds to fund scholarships for the Texas A&M Foundation.
After many experiments, Andy finally successfully harvested the acorns and sold his first batch of tiny tree seedlings. 8 years later, the Century Tree and Andy are still giving—giving alumni a chance to have a piece of their college history grow in their own backyards while helping sponsor future Aggie educations.
A giving man and tree indeed!
To learn more or purchase a Century Tree seedling please visit https://www.aggiecenturytreeproject.com