The stacked rocks and boulders look displaced on the grounds where they will become the bedding for a colorful array of flowers that will be part of the Dorothy Morris Gardens.

Bruce Francis and other workers from the Physical Plant have been laboring throughout the day building the new Dorothy Morris Gardens behind Faner Hall since the beginning of September. They have a deadline of Oct. 15.

Dorothy Morris was the wife of the late Delyte Morris, SIU’s eighth president. Francis, the superintendent of grounds, said the Morrises used to have a house where the University Museum in Faner now stands.

The gardens are literally in the Morrises’ backyard, Francis said.

Within the Dorothy Morris Gardens are the Kumakura Gardens and the sculpture gardens. The Kumakura Gardens are named after Nobuo Kumakura, the mayor of Nakajo in Niigata, Japan. Nakajo houses the third branch of the SIU campus.

The tea house within the gardens is made from cedar. The house will be open on two sides to allow a walkway to pass through it. There will be a bench inside the tea house so that visitors can sit and enjoy the beauty of the gardens.

Outside the tea house there will be various plants to view. Boulders will create varying elevations within the gardens. There will be a pool which will vary in shape, but it will be 35 feet long and 18 feet wide. A bridge also will span the pool.

Kathy Bury, a member of the committee for the Dorothy Morris Gardens, said Kumakura visited SIUC in May 1997 and was given his honorary doctorate. The groundbreaking for the Kumakura Gardens within the Dorothy Morris Gardens took place at that same time.

Nobuo Kumakura had a vision for the (SIU) branch in Japan, and he gave so much to us, Bury said. Beverly Sanders (wife of SIU President Ted Sanders) came up with the idea of the Kumakura Garden to show our appreciation and to give something back.

John Haller, vice president for Academic Services, said the ground breaking signified the 10th anniversary of SIUC’s long-term relationship with Nakajo.

The Kumakura Garden honors the outstanding leadership in development between Carbondale and Nakajo, Haller said.