On Nov. 10, Governors State held a memorial event to dedicate a tree that was planted for Sandy, the school’s therapy dog who passed away.

Those who arrived at Sandy’s memorial and dedication walked to Illinois Landscape No.5, called the “French Fries sculpture,” where Sandy’s tree overlooks the lake. The tree was then dedicated to Sandy, but due to the weather, everyone transitioned inside to discuss Sandy’s memory along with hot cocoa with whipped cream, sweet tea, and brownies. Photos of Sandy in the snow, in her graduation outfit, and at home were set up inside.

Sandy was a therapy dog at GovState for eight years. Steve Hyzny, Sandy’s owner, explained that he wanted to give back to the community by bringing Sandy to a hospital because she was a therapy dog, but the distance was in the opposite direction from Governors State, where he works.

Originally, GovState brought in a therapy dog once during the students’ final exam week for an hour. Hyzny knew that one hour a week wasn’t enough, so he brought Sandy by to meet some new people in the library. After that, it was decided that Sandy would come once a week to meet the university State community.

“I figured I was going to replace that one hour, you know, bring her in for an hour. But they were like, can you bring her more often?” Hyzny said. “And I was like, yeah, I can do that. So next thing you know, she’s in every week. We used to do our time in the library, but I teach here, so then she would be in my classroom.”

Sandy was very sociable, as she walked students to their seats and sat beside them while they attended the class. She would interact with everyone she came across, even pausing to talk to people while on her way to the library.

A person attending the event said, “She was a sweet soul.”

Sandy’s ashes were placed under the tree before it was planted, so that she will be a part of the Governors State campus forever.

To find Sandy’s memorial, walk to the F building and follow the pathway to Sculpture No.5, then walk off the sidewalk to the tree closest to the sculpture. Visit Sandy’s memorial to honor her memory!