Peter Cofrin Overlook
Peter Cofrin Memorial Overlook
The Cofrin Arboretum Overlook includes a deck and sitting area that provides views of the large open field to the south. This resting and viewing spot along a bark trail just uphill from Upahki Pond and south of the soccer field and Bay Settlement entrance drive. Animals frequently seen in this area include White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). It is an excellent area to watch birds especially grassland songbirds like Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnellamagna) and Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida). It is also a quiet spot to relax in the afternoon and watch the sun set.
Peter Cofrin
In 2008 the overlook was dedicated to the memory of Peter Cofrin. Peter Cofrin was the youngest of six children of the late John and Barbara Hauxhurst Cofrin of Green Bay and the nephew of Dr. David and Mary Ann Cofrin. In the mid-1970s, Peter, a Green Bay native, took a leadership role in establishing the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum. He joined with his brothers and sisters to create an endowment to provide funds to establish plantings, trails and to purchase additional property to create a natural arboretum encircling the UW Green Bay campus. Their $575,000 gift — at the time, the largest donation to a UW school outside of Madison — was a memorial to their father, John, who was president of Fort Howard Paper Company, and grandfather Austin Cofrin, the company founder. Peter and his siblings received the University’s highest community honor, the Chancellor’s Award, in 1989.
A plaque has been placed at the overlook. It reads as follows: Dedicated to the generosity and vision of Peter A. Cofrin (1945-2008), who with other members of the Cofrin Family helped create the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum and an enduring legacy of opportunities for students, campus and community.