I remember everything about the news. I came in from school one afternoon as a 15-year-old to my mother crying in front of a computer screen.
She told me the iconic Toomer's Trees have been poisoned and are projected to die within the year. The same trees that have been rooted for what was 80 years at the time that my sisters and I grew up throwing toilet paper in ever since we could remember.
As a strong, defensive Auburn alumna, my mom, as well as every Auburn fan I knew, held the trees close as a reminder of the traditions we hold as an Auburn Family. All of the sudden, they were gone.
Every Auburn fan knows the name Harvey Updyke and they shutter to hear it, remembering the phone call to the Paul Finebaum show that gloomy afternoon. But with the announcement of the trees making their long-awaited comeback this month, I can't help but want to explain what the trees really symbolize for Auburn. Some speculate that the trees hold a conspiracy for last year's football season. Two trees equal two miracles in Jordan-Hare; the Georgia catch tipped to Ricardo Lewis' hands for the winning touchdown and then the 109-yard punt return by Chris Davis to win the Iron Bowl.
Once the trees gave us their two, we lost the national championship.
The biggest tradition Auburn is known for is rolling the trees after a football victory, but that's not all the trees are for.
Last year, the Auburn Family faced the loss of one of our most beloved tight ends, Philip Lutzenkirchen. We honored his life the best way we knew how; we rolled what was left of the trees at 4:30 p.m., representing his jersey number.
Of course without these trees in place, the city of Auburn had to provide an outlet for fans to celebrate, or in Lut'z case, commemorate happenings in the community.
In my opinion, I think they did a great job. There's not much that could be done, but the addition of wires strung over the Magnolia and College Street intersection illustrated a beautiful image when covered with toilet paper that hung down and brushed the streets.
But to me, and everyone else who is as passionate about Auburn tradition as I am, knows that the trees mean so much more.
I can't count the times I've heard "What's the big deal? They're just trees."
Here's the big deal: these trees symbolize everything we are as a university: Strong, ever-growing, progressive, deeply rooted, spirited and connected with our community, and their comeback will be a refreshing reminder of these traits.
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