A rededication for the garden is planned tentatively for Nov. 27. The garden, shaded by eastern cottonwoods, oaks, and Southern magnolias, slopes from the south side of Patterson residence hall to Blossom Street at the corner of Pickens Street in downtown Columbia. The greenspace occupies about one quarter of a city block.

Before the rededication takes place, other improvements are planned, said Kirstin Dow, an assistant professor in the geography department, who is helping with the revitalization. The spring-fed pond will be refilled and restocked with bream, crappie, largemouth bass, and catfish. Before the pond was dredged, workers used nets to remove most of the fish.

The pond is more than a home for fish, frogs, and tadpoles. The biology department uses it for sampling methods, Dow said. Sediment dredged from the pond will be dried out and recycled as prime topsoil.

The Asphalt Association of South Carolina has donated the materials for walkways and paths in the garden, and native azaleas will be added to the landscape. Other improvements include repairs to the stairway leading to Patterson, an irrigation system, and enhanced lighting. University alumni took the first steps to renovate the garden in March, clearing limbs, leaves, and debris on National Service Day.

USC purchased the property in 1937 to be used as an arboretum and dedicated the garden to Andrew Charles Moore in 1941. Moore, born in 1866, was the first honor graduate of South Carolina College in 1887. In 1905, he became the first chair of the newly created Department of Biology, establishing the herbarium that also bears his name. He served twice as interim president of the University from 1908 to 1909 and from 1913 to 1914. He died on campus in 1928.

For more information about the garden, go to www.environ.sc.edu/A_C_MooreWeb/acmindex.htm.