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Monmouth College dedicates Priscilla Trubeck Adolphson Memorial Arbor

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (05/08/2024) — Together again.

That's what two sorority sisters, sisters-in-law and lifelong friends became on May 7 after Monmouth College dedicated the Priscilla Trubeck Adolphson Memorial Arbor. It forms a natural backdrop to augment the Judith Williams Trubeck Memorial Amphitheatre, Fountain and Garden, located just a few feet away.

Known as Pris, Adolphson was a 1970 Monmouth graduate who met her husband, David Adolphson '67, on campus. He spoke at the ceremony.

"Monmouth is where we met, where we dated, where we were engaged and where we dreamed of the life we'd have together," said Adolphson, who lost Pris in 2023 after 54 years of marriage. "She ran a good race, and she ran it as far as she could."

Also speaking at the ceremony was Bill Trubeck '68, Pris's brother, who introduced Pris to David. And it was Pris who introduced her brother to Judy, her Kappa Delta sorority sister and a member of the Class of 1969. Bill and Judy were married 41 years.

"Before they were sisters-in-law, they were sorority sisters and friends," said Trubeck. "Forget family, they were just great friends."

The Priscilla Trubeck Adolphson Memorial Arbor features four maple trees, joining two other trees recently planted in the area, including one in memory of the late Nancy Speer Engquist '74.

Among his wife's joys, said Adolphson, were "dogs, baseball, stargazing in Colorado and maple trees."

The plaque by the easternmost maple reads, in part, "May all who encounter the beauty and strength of these trees find a measure of solace here."

Adolphson said his wife, a devoted homemaker who spent part of her childhood in Chicago near Wrigley Field, was not one to call attention to herself, saying, "She was modest, caring and interested in others. It was not about her, it was about you."

Still, though, he added, "I can't think of a more fitting place to have a memorial for Pris. I appreciate the College and the administration. It took a lot of work to make this possible."

Trubeck said his sister's selflessness meant a ceremony in her honor "was not her thing," but he appreciated the opportunity to "recognize all that she was, and all that she meant to us. We loved her, and we miss her."

A decade ago, the Adolphsons provided the naming gift for the observatory atop the College's Center for Science and Business, which stands on the opposite side of the amphitheatre.

Media Attachments

With some of the trees in the background, David Adolphson '67 speaks at the May 7 ceremony dedicating the Priscilla Trubeck Adolphson Memorial Arbor. David and Pris were married for 54 years, until she died in 2023.

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