10/21/2026
As you enjoy the colorful leaves on the campus of St. Norbert College this fall, we invite you to read this story about the Norbertine priest who was instrumental in helping make that possible - the late Fr. Anselm Keefe, O. Praem. This story, written by St. Norbert Abbey archivist/librarian Karen Mand, appeared in the latest edition of Abbey Magazine.
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+ Planting a lasting legacy: Many SNC trees are rooted in Fr. Keefe +
If you ever enjoyed the shade of a beautiful tree on the campus of St. Norbert College you can likely thank Fr. Anselm Keefe, O. Praem., one of the most influential figures in SNC history.
Fr. Keefe was born Jan. 21, 1895 in Oconto, Wis. He celebrated Vestition on Aug. 28, 1916 and was ordained as a priest on Sept. 18, 1920. He attended St. Norbert College, Catholic University of America and UW-Madison, earning multiple degrees along the way.
Fr. Keefe began teaching at St. Norbert College in the fall of 1926. One year later he was asked by Abbot Bernard Pennings, O. Praem., to become the rector (dean), and he served in that role until 1952 with a six-year break when he served as a chaplain in World War II. Fr. Keefe founded the St. Norbert Times in 1929 and the College Players in 1930, and he was instrumental in getting the college fully accredited in 1937. He also inaugurated coeducation in 1952 and welcomed the first female students.
Also among his lasting legacy is the wide array of trees and shrubs that beautifully grace the St. Norbert College campus.
From an early age, Fr. Keefe developed an interest in plants. He had a congenital hernia that prevented him from playing sports, so he helped his mother in the garden. This interest in plants led him to spend many hours beautifying the campus by planting trees and shrubs. He eventually developed a plan and started an herbarium that contains more than 20,000 species.
His goal was to plant every tree and most shrubs that are indigenous to Wisconsin, and for the most part he succeeded. He set about corresponding with nurseries from across the country to acquire seeds, seedlings and trees, and he engaged his students in devising plans. He started acquiring trees and plants wherever he could, seeking permission from landowners to dig up tree specimens to be replanted at the college.
Among the trees planted by Fr. Keefe and his students are butternut, American sycamore, Norway maple, silver maple, sugar maple, boxelder, Colorado spruce, Norway spruce, honey locust and hackberry, to name a few. Of particular interest were the Kentucky coffee trees and two gingko trees. He introduced many honey locust trees and several willow trees which do well in a wet environment along the adjacent Fox River. Fr. Keefe could be seen in jeans, work boots and his military cap doing much of the planting as he had time.
Unfortunately, time took its toll on some of the trees he planted, as have infestations of various pests and diseases, particularly Dutch elm disease that affected some of the trees on campus that had to be taken down and cut up for firewood. But many of his trees remain.
A detailed map was created through a research project started by a student biology major and recipient of the Anselm M. Keefe Scholarship Grant. The work began with aerial photographs, then identifying the trees and shrubs and mapping them out. A code was given to each species and a graph with their common name and scientific name was produced. This work was done in the mid-1970s and the map and graph still exist.
Fr. Keefe passed away on October 15, 1974, at the age of 79 - leaving the St. Norbert College campus a more beautiful place, much enjoyed by students and townspeople alike.
