McLaughlin Campus "Forest" Dedicated to Memory of Alex Wheeler

A celebration of life for a beloved community leader was combined with a celebration of new life recently as the staff of McLaughlin Middle/High School joined volunteers from Lake Wales Heritage to mark the dedication of 40 trees planted on the Lake Wales school campus.

Robert Connors

Mandy Cilliers was interviewed by Heritage videographer Karyn Thompson during the dedication event at mcLaughlin School.. Cilliers is the widow of former mayor and commissioner Alex Wheeler.

The trees were a gift from Lake Wales Heritage and its supporters in honor of the late Lee A. (Alex) Wheeler, who served as treasurer for the non-profit organization. Wheeler, who died in 2020, was also a former Lake Wales city commissioner, mayor, and Polk County School Board member.

"It was an honor and a privilege to be able to do this for the school and the city" said Heritage Vice-President Ron Poller. "It was an ambitious project that will bring natural beauty and, eventually, tremendous shade," he said, pointing out "the grove of native long leaf pines" that will give a sense of the area's original tree canopy.

Hailey Bottoms

Lake Wales Heritage volunteers Karyn Thompson, Ron Poller, and Robert Connors joined Mandy Cilliers at the dedication ceremony recognizing the 40 trees Heritage has plantied on the McLaughlin School campus in honor of her late husband, Alex Wheeler.

The Heritage group dedicated not only the trees but a memorial plaque which now hangs in the lobby of the school, explaining the reasons the group planted the small forest of trees on the school grounds. Wheeler, as a seventh-grader, was part of the very first group of students to attend the school when it was constructed.

Wheeler's widow, Mandy Cilliers, a member of the city's Tree Advisory Board, was present for the ceremony along with Gavin Wheeler, Alex's son, a fifth-generation Lake Walean.

Robert Connors

A plague honoring Lee A. (Alex) Wheeler was unveiled during the tree dedication ceremony.

The campus lost several of its mature trees last year due to ongoing construction, leaving the new parking lots barren and unshaded. Lake Wales Heritage is dedicated to helping restore the city's former reputation as "a city in a garden," a goal of the ongoing Lake Wales Connected efforts.

Among the new trees planted on the campus are numerous southern live oaks, longleaf pines, and flowering trees including crepe myrtle and purple trumpet tabebuias.

Hailey Bottoms

Heritage volunteers joined Mandy Cilliers, center, her son Gavin Wheeler, behind her, and McLaughlin School Acting Principal Dr. Linda Ray to dedicate the tree-planting effort.