On April 29, former Walden Mayor Becky Pearson facilitated Arbor Day again this year with the guidance of the Village of Walden to memorialize Officer Dominic Winum. A tree was dedicated to the slain officer at James W. Olley Community Park.

Winum was a native of Walden who was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 26 while serving with the Stanley (VA) Police Department. According to multiple news reports, Officer Winum had pulled over a vehicle driven by Dakota G. Richards, 29, of Stanley on the afternoon of Feb. 26. Before Winum exited his patrol car, the driver got out of his vehicle and opened fire at approximately 3:15 p.m., according to police. Winum died at the scene. He was 48.

“To the Winum family, we are so sorry for your loss and heartache,” Pearson said. “But hopefully planting this dogwood tree, which stands for loyalty, safety, kindness, stability, determination and protection; much of which your son stood for also, will bring you peace. A peace knowing that you live in a caring community, here to support you all.”

John Ramos, the current mayor of Walden and a former police officer, empathized with the Winum family’s loss.

“To the Winum family, we are still in mourning and we’ll be in mourning for quite some time,” he said. “We had a father, a son, a husband and a brother in law enforcement. Someone took his life in a tragic way. Those of us who have been in uniform, we have lived it, we’ve tasted it, we’ve lost some really good friends. This tree here will continue to blossom and we will take care of it, as Dominic took care of us in his life.”

Directly following the tree dedication ceremony was a virtual Arbor Day program for students at Walden Elementary School (WES).
Jim Presutti, commissioner of parks, recreation and conservation for the Town of Newburgh, gave a presentation about trees. As an arborist, he explained that he is essentially a doctor for trees.

“Your trees are just like you and I,” he told the students. “They live, they breathe just like you and I. They have a heart like you and I.”

He noted that the tree’s heart is in its roots. The roots store many of the sugars and waters that accumulate during photosynthesis over the summer. They keep these sugars and waters during the winter time and pump the fluids up and down the tree, much like a human heart pumps blood throughout the body to keep a person’s energy going.

Presutti added that trees are also like humans, in that they are individuals. A shorter tree might be older than a taller tree because they are different species. He also showed off a needle, which he uses to give trees shots of vitamins, food or medicine.

Pearson and Nancy Phelps, a third grade teacher at WES, read students’ poems about Arbor Day.

“Trees are important because they give us shelter,” wrote Malmi Rajapaksha, a student in Phelps’ class. “They also give us fruit to eat like apples… It is important to never cut down trees because if we did not have trees we would not have oxygen and that means there would be no life for animals or humans.”