After years of dedication to making The University of Toledo a more beautiful place, landscape architect Dick Meyers will be honored for his work this week.
The University of Toledo Facilities and Grounds, Campus Beautification Committee and the President’s Commission on the River will host a dedication reception Friday, April 17, at 9:30 a.m. at the river outlook adjacent to Savage Arena to recognize Meyers and his service to UT. Refreshments will be served after the free, public event.
“I’m just doing the things I enjoy doing,” Meyers said.
As a co-founder of the Collaborative Inc., a Toledo-based design firm, Meyers has had a hand in more than 30 landscape design and planning projects on UT campuses. He cites his most notable achievement as Centennial Mall, which was a parking lot before he helped design the green space.
“The mall is one of the top three aesthetic things about The University of Toledo that attracts students, in my opinion,” said Dick Eastop, former chair of the Campus Beautification Committee, member of the Presidential Commission on the River, retired UT administrator and longtime friend of Meyers. “Look what Dick designed and how important it is to the University now and has been for years. Just think of the impact he has had on this University just from that.”
The mall was named one of the 100 most beautifully landscaped places in the country by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Meyers also did the planning for the landscape surrounding the Law Center, the site planning for the Student Recreation Center and the expansion of the Student Union, and many projects on Health Science Campus, including the original site and landscape design for the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and the Bryant Academic Commons.
In addition to his professional work, Meyers has continued to serve the University for the past 10 years as a volunteer. He is one of the original members of the President’s Commission on the River, the organization that started the habitat restoration efforts for the 3,700 feet of the Ottawa River running through Main Campus.
Meyers also worked on the renovation project around Savage Arena and designed the first river outlook on campus, which is where a plaque will be placed in his honor. Meyers’ outlook design was adopted as the template for all other future river outlooks on campus.
“It’s exciting to see the growth here on campus and know that I was a small part of that,” Meyers said.
When asked why he was selected as an honoree, Meyers’ colleagues spoke highly of his expertise in his field and his humility.
“Dick Meyers provides a view from the outside that also brings a voice that we don’t readily have available to us on campus,” said Dr. Patrick Lawrence, professor and chair of the UT Department of Geography and Planning, and chair of the President’s Commission on the River. “When you’re a volunteer, you do it because you have interest and passion. He fits that profile.”
“He’s done so much for the community,” Eastop agreed. “He’s a giving, compassionate, caring, very humble person. Dick has a passion for helping people, and he lives that passion.”
When asked how he felt about being recognized, Meyers said he was shocked: “I get so much enjoyment out of doing what I’ve done, it just seems like I don’t need anymore. This is just the cherry on top of the icing.”
For more information about the dedication, contact Lawrence at patrick.lawrence@utoledo.edu.
