Chainsaw artist to transform tree into Golden Eagle | Events

On Nov. 17 chainsaw artist Dayton Scoggins will reshape an ailing live oak on The University Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus into a beloved icon.

The tree, located on the east side of the Walker Science Building and across from the west entrance of the R.C. Cook Student Union will be carved into a golden eagle, the university’s mascot, beginning at 9 a.m. The project is scheduled to be completed prior to Saturday’s 7 p.m. Conference USA football game against the University of Texas-El Paso. 

“Dayton is a local carver whose work is well known from some of the (Hurricane) Katrina trees on the coast,” said Loren Erickson, superintendent of campus landscape for Southern Miss. “This tree is dead and would be in need of removal regardless, but the chance for it to remain as an art piece makes its loss much easier to absorb.”

For more on this article, click HERE to go to the USM website.