The Daffodil Project
By Daniel Casciato

John Frey’s daffodils will have a new home this spring. The daffodils - planted in the shape of a cross and in the words “WELCOME SPRING” - bloomed every spring at the Frey farm off Warrendale Bayne Road in Marshall Township. The brightly colored daffodil display has delighted passersby for over 30 years.

“John derived so much pleasure from doing that,” says Wilma Manners, Frey’s sister. “He was always coming up with great ideas, but the daffodils were something he took great pride in. So many people would look at the daffodils as one of the first signs of spring.”

Soon after Frey’s death a couple of years ago, housing developers tore down the homestead and were not planning to keep the daffodil bulbs. “We were extremely disappointed they had no interest in preserving the bulbs,” says Manners. “So we asked our pastor, Reverend Dr. Daniel M. Corll, of the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, located a mile down the road, if they could do anything to help us out.”

When Rev. Corll’s son, Jeremy, 18, a Boy Scout with Troop 81 and Pine Richland senior, heard about the doomed fate of the daffodils, he took it upon himself to save them. “The Manners really cared for these bulbs and didn’t want to see anything to happen to them,“ says the younger Corll. “Neither did the rest of the community. We all wanted to see these daffodils continue to bloom every spring. It would be a shame to see them gone.”

Corll decided to move the bulbs from the Frey farm to a hillside at the church as part of his Eagle Scout Project, which would earn him the Eagle Scout Award, the highest award a Boy Scout can earn. According to the Boy Scouts Association (BSA) the Eagle Scout Project should benefit an organization other than the BSA, such as a religious institution, school or community.

Corll felt that the site was perfect since the church sits high on a hill, reputed to be one of the highest spots in Allegheny County. After receiving approval from the Greater Pittsburgh Council of Boy Scouts, the church and the Manners, Corll enlisted the services of other scouts, friends, family and other church members last August to begin the transfer.

They replanted the bulbs in the same way: a cross and “WELCOME SPRING” on the hillside by the church. Over 80,000 bulbs were dug up, which was more than the group expected. Corll says that originally 15,000 bulbs were planted, but they multiplied over the years. Each bulb was hand-dug, sorted, divided and then replanted at the church after the ground was cleared, roto-tilled and prepared.

The cross lays 53 feet tall and 30 feet across, while the “WELCOME SPRING” sign is 10 feet tall and almost 90 feet long. Each letter is about 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. The Celtic cross consists of white daffodils, while the rest of the cross is comprised of yellow daffodils. Marking out the spacing for the cross and the letters was the tedious part of the project, says Corll.

The entire project took approximately two weeks. “It was a lot of work, but it was definitely well worth the effort,” Corll says. “I think it made a lot of people in the community happy.”

No one was more proud by the group’s efforts than Manners, knowing that her brother’s legacy will continue to live on. “Everyone got so much pleasure from seeing those daffodils every spring,” she says. “Jeremy and those who helped him did a fantastic job in preserving that tradition. It’s just remarkable that someone that young would be interested in doing something like this.”

Her husband agrees. “I was surprised by their dedication and commitment. It’s not every day that you find kids helping out in their community. It was absolutely phenomenal. They all put their heart and soul into it.”

Corll says that 52 people volunteered over 500 hours to help him complete the project. Additionally, they sold the remaining bulbs at $2.00/bag for 25-50 bulbs to cover their costs and donated $900 to the church.

“We were all really proud of him,” says Rev. Corll. “I thought it was great that he was preserving a landmark and impressed about the work they all did. And on top of all that, he still had that entrepreneurial spirit to figure out how to raise funds and have enough left over to make a donation.”

“I’m really happy that I took the initiative to save these bulbs,” Jeremy Corll adds. “This tradition is going to continue each year at springtime. I’m grateful that the church allowed us to add this beautiful arrangement on the hillside to continue to brighten up the community and put a smile on people’s faces.”