Parks and Recreation will host a Trees Across Texas Ceremony on Friday, April 28, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. at the
Quest Memorial Grove located in the Buddy Holly Recreation Area. Over thirty years ago, the late Dr. A. E.
“Gene” Quest and his wife, Audrey, established the A. E. (Gene) Quest Memorial Grove for the youth of
Lubbock. City Council members and other community members will participate in the ceremony.
Former long-time Councilman T. J. Patterson and Dr. Quest created the Trees Across Texas program in 2000.
Every year, the City of Lubbock has a symbolic tree exchange with another city in Texas. Each city plants a tree indigenous to the habitat of the partner city. For 2017, the City of Lubbock has honored the City of Georgetown with the planting of a Cedar Elm tree in the Quest Memorial Grove. This year marks the 18th tree planting for Trees Across Texas.
Starting with only a few trees, each year Dr. Quest and his family have added trees to the Quest Memorial Grove, and it now boasts over 100 trees. Art Quest and Jeanie Quest, the children of Dr. and Mrs. Quest, will
continue this family tradition this year by honoring their father and mother with the planting of a Triumph Elm
tree. The Quest family also donated the Audrey Anna Quest Memorial Fountain that was added to the Grove
in 2005.
The Quest Memorial Grove is located by Fiesta Plaza in Buddy Holly Recreation Area in the Jim Bertram Lake
System west of North University (south side of the lake).
Previous Trees Across Texas cities:
2000 – City of Lufkin
2001 – City of Ft. Worth
2002 – City of Dallas
2003 – City of Houston
2004 – City of College Station
2005 – City of Allen
2006 – City of Tyler
2007 – City of Amarillo
2008 – City of Austin
2009 – City of Odessa
2010 – City of Baytown
2011 – City of New Braunfels
2012 – City of Grapevine
2013 – City of Rockwall
2014 – City of El Paso
2015 – City of Canyon
2016 – City of Texarkana
(News release from City of Lubbock)
