Fred A. Erb
Fred A. Erb
In April 2023, the Royal Oak Arboretum became known as the Fred A. Erb Arboretum. Fred Erb was born in 1923. He was a local businessman who, at the age of 24, took over the helm of the Erb-Kidder Lumber and Coal business. Under his leadership the store grew. It eventually had 45 locations, 1300 employees, and $280 million in annual sales. He died in 2013.
Fred and Barbara Erb established the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation in 2007. The foundation awarded the Royal Oak Civic Foundation a generous grant of $250,000 for use at the Fred A. Erb Arboretum. Part of this fund was used to plant 100 trees to mark the 100th birthday of Fred A. Erb. Other improvements were to include a new garden shed, gardening tools, plants, and educational signage.
The dedication of the Fred A. Erb Arboretum took place April 27, 2023. Fred and Barbara’s son, John Erb, spoke. He recounted his family’s rich Royal Oak history, his and his father’s love for the outdoors, and their love for the Royal Oak parks system. He mentioned the “Father of Royal Oak Parks” Myron Zucker whose vision was that no child should need to cross a major street to reach a park. The highlight of the dedication was the planting of the first of the 100 new trees. A Pin Oak was chosen to represent the “Royal Oak” and the strength of the Erb family in our community.