On both occasions, the tree was intentionally uprooted from its place, sustaining permanent damage to its trunk and roots. After the first act of vandalism, Landscape Technician John Bator and his team were able to successfully recover the memorial tree after replanting it and carefully tending to it. Though the landscaping team has tried their best to replant the tree, any further damage to its roots and trunk will make it impossible to revive it in the future.
Professor of Classics Rebecca Sinos, a close friend of Marshall's, hopes that student knowledge of the tree as a memorial to the late Marshall will prevent future incidents of deliberate damage to the tree. "To see a memorial tree damaged is especially painful in that those members of our community who knew Peter are saddened not only at the senseless destruction of something beautiful, but also because of its association in our minds with someone we miss," she said.
Visiting Lecturer Meggan Arp '01 was a senior at the College the year Marshall passed away and participated in the dedication of the Ash tree in his honor. "The vandalism of this tree is especially disturbing because it violates a beautiful object in nature memorializing a man whose prowess as a professor was most evident in courses on such authors as Lucretius, in which the cyclical beauty of nature, both with respect to its creative and destructive powers, serves as the focus," said Arp.
Arp also reflected upon Marshall's talents and their close relationship. "Professor Marshall's mastery of the Latin language, his infectious humor and his profound knowledge of the ancient world, which he made pertinent to the modern world, inspired students both in the classroom and in life," she said. "He had an enormous impact on my own decision to become a professor of classics. I only hope that the regenerative forces of Nature are able to vindicate the destructive and senseless act of vandalism against his tree and his memory."
Arp shared how Marshall influenced her career choice, stating "[The] dream of mine to be a professor of classics was inspired and made possible because of Professor Marshall. Although his death has been one of the greatest losses I have ever felt, I will transfer the intensity of my emotions towards dedicating my own life to the study of the classics in a manner that I wish will make him proud," she said.
Marshall, also a Moore Professor of Latin, started his professorship at Amherst in 1959 and taught until early spring semester of 2001, when his struggle with prostate cancer forced him to take a leave of absence from teaching. He passed away on April 9, 2001, at the age of 66.
The Ash tree, from which white flowers bloom in May and scarlet berries grow in the Fall, was dedicated in the memory of Marshall on May 15, 2001. It was planted and still remains in front of Grosvenor House, which housed his office since 1967. The dedication ceremony was attended by the professor's colleagues, friends and former students. Marshall's memorial plaque reads: Tamquam haec sit nostri medicina doloris (translation: As if this were a remedy for our grief; adapted from Virgil Ecl. 10.60 by Professor of Classics Cynthia Damon) / In memory of Peter K. Marshall / Professor of Classics 1959-2001 / Scholar-Teacher-Friend).
Marshall was active in both the College community and in the realm of classical scholarship. Students say that as one of the most beloved professors on campus, Marshall shared with his students a profound knowledge of Roman civilization and Latin language and literature. As a classics academic, he was a prolific author, publishing throughout his career in acclaimed books and journals.