Starhill Forest Arboretum Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

In 1976, newlyweds Guy and Edie Sternberg purchased 20 acres in Menard County, Illinois, and began planting trees. Over the years, Starhill Forest Arboretum (SFA) took shape, and the property has grown to 50 acres and houses numerous taxonomic collections, including one of the largest oak collections in the United States. Starhill is the official research and teaching arboretum of Illinois College, and over the decades, numerous students have visited to learn about taxonomy, biology, and just about anything else the natural world has to offer. Some of these students even found summer employment at Starhill, and a select few—Illinois College graduates Arboretum Curator Alana McKean and Grounds Manager Aaron Baker—found a permanent home, working full-time at the Arboretum. 

As founding members of the IOS, Guy and Edie helped the society transform from a fledgling group of interested oak enthusiasts into an international group of more than 750 members spread across 44 countries. Guy was the first President of the IOS from 1994 to 2000, Vice President from 2006 to 2008, Co-Editor (and later Editor) of International Oaks from 2003 to 2012, and member of the Board of Directors from 1994 to 2012. Guy and Edie have helped organize IOS Conferences and Tours of Starhill, including the 25^th Anniversary celebration¹ of the IOS in 2017.

To honor Starhill Forest Arboretum's 50^th Anniversary, IOS members, friends, and supporters of Starhill gathered on June 27, 2026, for an afternoon of introductions, short talks, and tours. Visitors from Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, as well as locals, attended the event. Guy gave a tour around the arboretum and highlighted a few of Starhill’s unique trees, such as Fagus ×taurica ‘Prince of Darkness’ (an SFA introduction), a seedling from the original fastigiate Q. robur called “the Beauty Oak of Harreshausen,” as well as a mature specimen of Q. ×sternbergii. SFA is home to more than 700 individual oaks, comprising hundreds of species, hybrids, varietal forms and cultivars, 17 of which originated at SFA. 

Thanks to Guy, Edie and SFA staff for hosting a great event and being a constant source of information, education and enthusiasm for the natural world—and oaks in particular. To learn more about Starhill Forest Arboretum, see their homepage https://starhillforest.com/wp1/.

¹ A separate celebration in Europe was held at  Plaček Quercetum in the Czech Republic. See the articles here: 

• Blowing Out 25 Candles at Starhill

• International Oak Society 25th Anniversary