PNW’s biggest donor died recently, but his legacy lives on in the 330-acre Gabis Arboretum.
Damien Gabis, who with his wife Rita donated their Taltree Arboretum and Gardens to the university in 2018, died on Feb. 15. He was 82.
The arboretum just outside of Valparaiso, is valued at $12 million and represents the largest single donation ever given to PNW. It is one of the largest nature preserves in the region, featuring a restored prairie, display gardens, wetlands and miles of hiking trails through woodlands. In 2011, Gabis was named one of 10 arboretums in the United States that “may well leave you speechless” by the web portal MSN.
“Damien and Rita had a vision, and they’ve passed that down to the people that work here,” said Sarah Reed, the arboretum’s director. “This place is run on passion and vision, just like the founders started it.”
“I had the pleasure of working here with [Damien and Rita] … following in their footsteps,” she said. “[Damien] always had this smile, he enjoyed this so much. He had excitement for the arboretum, and it was contagious in everything he did.”
The Gabises created the arboretum as a passion project. In 1990, they and a group of environmentally concerned citizens bought 72 acres of land to preserve the prairie. The original site had only 15 trees. Over time, the Gabises and their friends planted 20,000 trees and more than tripled the size of the property.
It opened to the public in 2001 as Taltree Arboretum and Gardens. Under the care of Damien and Rita Gabis and their many volunteers, the arboretum became a home to numerous species of wildlife, including a rare salamander. It also has the largest collection of oak trees in Indiana.
“[It’s] a wonderful addition to the community,” said co-founder Rita Gabis in 2015. “It not only provides green space, but for people who walk the trails, it gives them peace.”
When the donation was announced, Gabis said PNW’s control of the arboretum would ensure its long-term availability to the community.
“This partnership with Purdue Northwest is a tremendous opportunity for the sustainability of Taltree as a public arboretum,” he said in a press release announcing the donation. “We are excited about the prospect of becoming a small part of Purdue Northwest and what the future holds.”
The arboretum continues to be open to the public, supported by the university and through private donations while being maintained by the work of volunteers.
“We’re self-sustaining … that makes the arboretum even more valuable as a place that was put here for the community to enjoy and,” said Reed, who has worked at the arboretum since 2014.. “The arboretum is [the Gabises’] lasting legacy that will be here for generations.”
