A Sad Day For Auburn

Yesterday, Auburn University officials announced that the 130 Oak trees that stand on Toomer's Corner had been purposefully infected with a deadly amount of herbicide. Why is this worthy of a blog post? Well you see, at Auburn, after a big win, fans flood the corner of College St to roll the trees with toilet paper in celebration and to enjoy time together as the Auburn Family. I enjoyed this tradition during college, visiting Toomer's Corner as a graduate and have honestly daydreamed about the first time we could take Cullen to be part of the celebration. And now, a grown man has infected a city's landmark and will kill them. Because he didn't like that some Auburn fans put a Cam Newton jersey on a statue of Bear Bryant (Alabama's legendary coach) during the week of the Iron Bowl (the annual Auburn/Alabama football game).

So I share it with you because it makes me sad. And it makes me even more sad that people can take a fun and exciting rivalry and turn it into a devastating loss of tradition. Auburn will do their best to save the trees and in the meantime, I hope Auburn fans keep it classy and in the words of Auburn's president Jay Gogue, "It is understandable to feel outrage in reaction to a malicious act of vandalism. However, we should live up to the example we set in becoming national champions and the beliefs expressed in our Auburn Creed." War Eagle!

My friends and me after beating Alabama in 2007.
Toomer's Corner after we won the 2010 BSC Championship
Toomer's Corner c. 1890, that is one of the Oak trees that was infected.
A current picture from under the trees.