Ethel Kochel Garden dedicated
A fresh evergreen landscape has been installed at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, to honor Ethel Kochel, widow of longtime college leader Irvin Kochel.
The Ethel Kochel Garden was dedicated today in a mid-morning ceremony hosted by Chancellor Jack Burke.
The new dwarf conifer garden surrounds a patio attached to the Irvin Kochel Center, which opened in 1993 to house the college’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The garden was commissioned by Jeffrey Kochel ’71 AGR, oldest of the couple’s three children, to create a living tribute to his mother.
“During Behrend’s creation and growth, my mother was integral in supporting my father behind the scenes,” he told the dedication audience of Kochel family friends and college retirees. “She has a great appreciation for nature and the outdoors, which is a big reason why I am a forester today. Having her garden adjacent to the Irvin Kochel building seemed the perfect way to bring these important pieces of her life together for recognition.”
Jeffrey Kochel and his wife, former Erie resident Pamela Olson Kochel, reside in Coudersport. He is employed at Forest Investment Associates in Smethport, a provider of timberland services to institutional investors. Ethel Kochel is a Harborcreek resident.
The Ethel Kochel Garden is home to 15 varieties of dwarf evergreens, plus ornamental grasses and a honey locust tree. The existing cement patio was acid-stained with a dark red design to add visual interest; picnic tables and bench seats have been ordered for the garden to encourage use of the garden by students and employees.
The late Irvin Kochel was director of Penn State Behrend from 1954 until 1980; under his leadership the college became the first campus outside University Park to grant four-year undergraduate degrees, and the first to build residence halls. From 1980 until his retirement Kochel served as the University’s vice president of administration.
The Kochels were three months from celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary when Irvin died in May 2003.