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A "witness tree” is a tree that existed at the time and place of a major historical event. If the 100 or so documented Witness Trees of Gettysburg could speak, they would tell innumerable stories of fear and courage, heartbreak and joy, loss and victory. The trees are quite literally rooted in the soil from which still weeps an invisible force that demands reverence from present-day visitors.
During his first visit to Gettysburg in 2007, President Steven O’Day—who was then coaching and teaching at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania—was inspired by the dynamic impact the location exudes and wanted to harness it to the benefit of his students. “I met (licensed battlefield guide) Sue Boardman during that visit,” he says. “She had ideas on how Gettysburg Battlefield could be utilized to educate people on various leadership concepts that can be applied to their own lives.” Together, President O’Day and Boardman formulated the framework of a leadership seminar for students in leadership positions. The experience was so meaningful for O’Day and the participants that he has held the seminar in some form nearly every year since.
Though the two-day seminar was initially aimed primarily at students, it has since evolved to include coaches, staff, faculty, alumni, and trustees. While it takes place in arguably one of the most historically significant locations in the U.S., the seminar is not meant to be a history lesson. Leadership can be difficult to define, and the topic of the Civil War teems with tangible examples of leadership—both good and bad—that are relevant to professional development. Trustee Bill Douglass, who has attended the seminar, says, “As a leader, one gains a unique perspective into the many human judgement errors which created this epic tragedy, and leaves this site of enormous dedication, discipline, and sacrifice with a new understanding of a leader’s responsibility in preventing needless loss of time and resources.”
Participants analyze decisions made—and sometimes not made—by leaders in the course of the battle, the reasoning behind them, and their consequences. Standing in the actual locations where those decisions were made, the ramifications resonate.
At the conclusion of the seminar, each attendee creates an action plan for applying the lessons learned to their own life. Just as the Witness Trees of Gettysburg are rooted in history and bear silent testimony to moments of profound transformation, each participant walks away changed by the same emotional impact that inspired President O’Day and Sue Boardman to develop the seminar all those years ago.