Dull’s Tree Farm maze honors Trent’s legacy

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Tyler Trent’s courageous spirit has been honored in many unique ways.

Dull’s Tree Farm found a new way with a corn maze at its Boone County farm in Thorntown.

Trent, a Carmel resident and Purdue University superfan, died Jan. 1 after a battle with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

“The first thing we try to think about is what will connect with people in our area visiting the farm,” Dull said of the corn maze design.

Dull and his wife, Dana, met at Purdue and are 2012 graduates. Dull’s father, Tom, and mother, Kerry, also are Purdue graduates. They share ownership of the business and Dull serves as manager of the pumpkin harvest.

“We have been following Tyler’s story closely and had my sister-in-law go through her own cancer battle,” Dull said. “We thought this would be possibly a way to keep his story and legacy going.”

Dana’s sister, Jenae Blasdel, is in remission from brain cancer.

The Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment funds cancer research at the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research.

“We touched base with the Trent family and got their blessing on it and went from there,” Dull said.

Trent’s book “The Upset” will be sold at the farm with all proceeds going to his foundation. Trent co-authored the book with John Driver, with proceeds going toward pediatric cancer research. Trent drew national attention after ESPN featured his story during the Purdue football team’s upset of No. 2 Ohio State last year.

Dull said there will be donation buckets around the farm.

“We as a farm are going to match up to $1,000 each weekend,” Dull said.

Three of the five weekends’ donations will go toward the Trent endowment. One weekend it will go to Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital and the other weekend to Riley Hospital for Children.

The Pumpkin Patch and maze will open Sept. 28 and run every weekend though Oct. 27. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.

The maze was cut when the corn was 4 to 5 inches tall at the end of July.

Admission is $10. Children 2 and younger admitted free. For more, dullstreefarm.com

Purdue student gate honors Trent

At Purdue’s home football opener Sept. 7, which would have been Trent’s 21st birthday, the Tyler Trent Student Gate debuted. His family attended the pregame dedication ceremony, which included Purdue President Mitch Daniels.

Purdue’s captains are now called Tyler Trent Team Captains. Coach Jeff Brohm changed the name in April to honor Trent, who served as an honorary team captain last year.

Boilermakers wide receiver Rondale Moore said both are fitting tributes.

“He was a great friend of mine and we ended up texting every day and it became a really good friendship,” Moore said. “He was a fighter and the definition of a Boilermaker.”


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