Written by Leslie Wagner, Historian
Beman and Bertie Dawes’ five children were founding Trustees of The Dawes Arboretum. They helped oversee the operations and development of the grounds even after their parents’ passing. Without them, many gardens and buildings would not exist for Arboretum visitors to enjoy today.
Beman and Bertie’s first child, Beman Gates Dawes Jr., became the Chairman of The Arboretum after his father’s passing in 1953. Gates, as the family called him, was the owner of Eureka Fire and Marine Insurance Company in Cincinnati. He also served in World War I with the Marietta College Ambulance Unit in France and was a major in World War II. In 1966, Gates was asked to do his own tree dedication in honor of the new Administration Building named after him. He also spearheaded the installations of Dawes Lake and the Japanese Garden.
Beman and Bertie’s only daughter, Dorothy Young, attended most of the tree dedications since 1928. She drove a milk wagon in Columbus during WWI to replace the men called into service. Her husband, David Harold Young, was a WWI pilot in two Ohio Aero Squadrons and helped Beman create the Pure Oil Company’s aviation department. Dorothy and David resided in Columbus and Chicago during their lifetime.
Carlos Burr Dawes, known as C. Burr, acted as Arboretum secretary and then Chairman after Gates. C. Burr served in the Army in WWII and was a Major with the Office of Strategic Services- the predecessor of the CIA. He later formed the Johnson Dawes Company in Columbus for real estate development and became The Arboretum’s first historian. C. Burr designed the logo for The Arboretum as a cluster of bur oak leaves. In 1972, he dedicated a tree on our grounds. Due to his passion for history, our History Center is named after him.
Beman and Bertie’s fourth child, Ephraim but known by his middle name Cutler, lived in Georgia and worked at Atlanta’s Pure Oil office as assistant manager. Later, he ran a lumber business in Rome. Cutler created the first Arboretum visitor map in 1953 with a hand-drawn layout of the main grounds that included tree collections, a key and photos. The history department’s library is named after him, likely from the letters he wrote expressing his concern with the Dawes family books and how they should be preserved.
The youngest child, Henry, acted as Arboretum treasurer and then Chairman after Burr’s term. Henry was a lieutenant colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII. He was also secretary to the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, his uncle and former Vice- President, Charles Dawes. While living in Hartford, Connecticut, Henry became the personnel director for Connecticut General Insurance and additionally was the founding president of Dawes Investment Service in Florida. In 1977, he dedicated a tree on our grounds and in 1980, our Visitors Center was named after him.
Coordinating Photo
Tree Dedication of the French American Friendship, 1939 (from L to R – Ephraim, C. Burr, Beman Jr., Trustee E.C. Wright, Count Rene de Saint-Quentin, Beman, Bertie, Dorothy and Henry)