On September 7, 2014, CBS Sunday Morning aired some snippets of the Kilmer interview they filmed recently: my sister Noelie Angevine, my cousin Robert C. Kilmer and I took part. The primary subject was the American experience of World War I. Possibly due to time constraints, the poem "In Flanders Fields"- is mentioned without credit. This justly famous, moving poem was written by Canadian poet and physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.
 
       Despite the flaws and limitations, I think the segment is well worth watching, and I'm glad I was able to participate. I regret that I can't show it to you without the commercial.

       Joyce Kilmer is best known for his poem "Trees." Legends have grown up all over the country around certain trees that are reputed to be the tree that inspired the poem; people often write to me asking for verification of their local version. According to my Dad, Joyce Kilmer's eldest son, Joyce was writing about trees in general, not about any particular tree. Joyce was living in Mahwah, New Jersey, at the time he wrote the poem (February 2, 1913). "It was in an upstairs bedroom... which served as Mother's and Dad's bedroom and also as Dad's office.... The window looked out down a hill, on our well-wooded lawn ~ trees of many kinds, from mature trees to thin saplings: oaks, maples, black and white birches, and I don't know what else." ~ Memories of my Father, Joyce Kilmer; Kenton Kilmer, 1993. I don't actively discourage the legends (such as Notre Dame's legend, because they encourage environmental passion, but I also value accuracy, so I've provided the facts as I know them for those who seek.
 
       It is dangerous to argue with the judgment of the people, but I can't help agreeing with Aline Kilmer, his widow, and with their eldest son (my father, Kenton Kilmer), both of whom expressed a preference for some of his lesser-known works such as "Delicatessen" and "A Blue Valentine." My own favorite tends to vary each time I re-read his work, but for several years now "The Snowman in the Yard" has been a steady favorite. Though some call him a "great poet," I believe it is fair to say that his work showed promise; that had he not been struck down in his prime, his talent would most likely have developed in later years into something approaching greatness. I really love his letters and his essays. It is as an editor that his most important contributions to poetry were made; my father particularly credited him with the literary recognition of Gerard Manley Hopkins in the United States.
 
       Nevertheless, I am thankful for the popularity of "Trees," because its captivating lyrical simplicity drives home this profound message: we humans can never hope to surpass the awesome beauty of nature. This is why I think of my grandfather as an early environmentalist. Countless trees have been planted in his honor, and for that alone he deserves to be remembered. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest was dedicated in his honor.
 
Essay: A Tree Grows, and Grows by Thomas Vinciguerra, published August 16, 2013 in The New York Times
 
See also Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest ~ Wildflowers
 
Inspiring essay on Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" by Angela Harris.
 
The poem "Trees" has been set to music by many people, but the song everyone seems to know is by Oscar Rasbach. Sheet Music and Recordings are readily available.

1917 Portrait of Joyce Kilmer Underwood & Underwood ~ Digital Restoration by Miriam A. Kilmer

"Trees"

       For resources on Joyce Kilmer, including his collected works, please visit Rising Dove Bookstore.

       The "perfect tree" chosen for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree for 2004 came from Suffern, an area well known to Joyce Kilmer, and mentioned in his poem "The House with Nobody in It."

       Tree-Planting Ceremony, September, 1955: my cousins Robert and Ann participated in planting a tree in memory of their grandfather Joyce Kilmer during the dedication of the Ford Plant in Mahwah, NJ; they were assisted by Charles N. Feldman, then Mayor of Mahwah, and Henry Ford 2nd. Detail from a Herald-Tribune Photo by Ira Rosenberg.
       The name of Ford is associated primarily with cars, but Henry Ford also invented a tree-planting machine which helped to save thousands of trees all across our nation.
 
       Write to Ford for a cleaner environment.
 
       American Forests ~ plant trees to offset your Carbon Footprint.
 
       Global Footprint Network