Tib Murillo, left, and Brady Robinson of the Central Point Parks Department, dig holes Wednesday for a new grove of trees at the Oregon Fallen War Heroes Memorial at Don Jones Memorial Park in Central Point.

A Veterans Day dedication will be held this weekend for a grove of trees planned for the Oregon Fallen War Heroes Memorial at Don Jones Memorial Park in Central Point.

Officially dubbed the My Veteran / My Hero Tribute Tree program, the grove would be the second of the same name in the country.

Central Point Parks and Recreation Commission member Ron Woodhead spearheaded the program for the Rogue Valley. A retired parks and recreation director from Pennsylvania, Woodhead moved to Southern Oregon in 2020.

Before retiring in 2016, he served a group of five cooperating municipalities for two decades and helped create a “Grove of Heroes” tree program for the community of State College, Pennsylvania. Trees are purchased by community members in honor of any veteran — living or dead — and planted and cared for by city parks crews.

Woodhead said the Centre Region Parks & Recreation Authority extended a copyright authorizing the city of Central Point to become the second community in the nation to offer the program.

“I feel pretty honored about the whole thing, having started it in Pennsylvania and now adding these beautiful trees at our war memorial here in Southern Oregon,” Woodhead said.

Four trees have already been purchased since the city adopted the tree program. Woodhead bought the first, in memory of his dad, Navy veteran Harold Woodhead. City officials say the grove, on the southwest side of the park, is a natural addition to the war memorial site, which was built in 2008. The city completed work on the memorial last year, extending it to include a tribute to former Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson.

A Vietnam helicopter pilot and one-time Central Point City Council member, Richardson helped facilitate fundraising and design of the original portion of the war memorial. The portion added in memory of Richardson, who died of brain cancer in February 2019, included a fountain with a marble bowl, a granite seating area and a plaque bearing Richardson’s likeness.

Central Point Planning Commission member Kay Harrison said the addition of the grove was a good fit for the park, already home to the two memorials and the nearby historic Central Point Cemetery.

Harrison and her husband, Fred Harrison, purchased a black tupelo in honor of their son, Joseph Harris, a recently retired lieutenant colonel who served two decades in the U.S. Army.

“We bought a tree as part of his congratulations for ‘Yay, you’re out of the Army now,’” Harrison said.

“Trees have always been used to commemorate things, so I think it made a lot of sense to put trees in the park. Everything in that area commemorates service and people in our community.”

Trees for the grove can be sponsored for $450. The price includes a plaque with the veteran’s name and a QR code linked to the veteran’s online biography on the city website. The first four trees were planted this week by city parks crews and will be dedicated during a small Veterans Day ceremony Saturday.

Types of trees that have been pre-approved by the city’s arborist include Oregon white oak, black tupelo (sour gum), “greenspire” littleleaf linden and “milky way” kousa dogwood.

Woodhead said he was excited to see the grove eventually provide shade at a park already known as a special place to remember veterans.

Members of the Rogue Valley chapter of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that advocates for veterans, will be at the Saturday event.

“We’re really excited about this. I’ve seen the magic that happens for families in parks,” Woodhead said.

“To be able to add shade trees, named for these veterans that have fought to give us all the freedom to be there … it really doesn’t get any better than that.”

The commemoration, to include dedication of the new grove, is set for 9 a.m. Saturday on the southwest side of Don Jones Memorial Park, 223 West Vilas Road.

For information on the trees program, visit the city’s parks and recreation website.

Trees purchased for the grove — four so far — are listed in an online gallery that includes biographies.