Toomer’s Corner marks an intersection at the northern border between the campus at Auburn University and the town of Auburn, Alabama.
Named after a drug store that sits on the corner (which was named after a former state senator who opened the store in the late 1800’s) Toomer’s Corner is famous for its two giant oak trees that sat across from each other at the intersection of College and Magnolia and canopied both roads.
Auburn is a college football powerhouse and has been for over a hundred years. At the turn of the previous century, prior to the university broadcasting its away games, Toomer’s Drugs, armed with the only telegraph in town, would strewn the power lines above its store with the ticker tape from that telegraph - signaling that Auburn won their road game that week.
And thus started the tradition of “rolling Toomer’s Corner” which ultimately meant the students hanging rolls and rolls of toilet paper from those giant oak trees in celebration of every Auburn victory since the mid-1930’s.
The Toomer’s Oaks ultimately went on to represent so much more than the outcome of that week’s football game. They stood as the symbol of the school for their ability to bring the student body together - no easy feat for a southern school during the previous century.
Marriage proposals commonly occurred under its giant branches. Photos in graduation gowns next to its mighty trunks were a rite of passage. Celebrating under its toilet-papered trestle on unusually warm nights in the late Fall after another Tiger’s victory was a tradition. They meant as much to the university, the town and the student body as the faculty, the buildings and the team itself.
In early 2011, a mysterious man - later revealed to be named Harvey Updike - called a local Alabama sports talk radio show and revealed the unthinkable. He had poisoned the trees two months earlier using a slow-acting herbicide after Auburn had beat their rival, the University of Alabama, in their annual game nicknamed “The Iron Bowl”.
Updike - a U of A super fan - simply killed the trees out of spite and anger.
When officials at Auburn confirmed that the trees were indeed poisoned and could not be saved, they were removed and a beautiful and innocent tradition came to an end.
At this year’s NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament, Yale University - the surprise winners of the Ivy League - had to travel across the country to play their first round game against, ironically enough, Auburn University.
Being a huge underdog and also being Spring Break at the school they decided not to send their marching band along for what was sure to be a short appearance at March Madness.
When the University of Idaho marching band heard that Yale’s band wasn’t going to be making the trip to Spokane they decided to do something about it.
They rehearsed the night before in order to learn Yale’s fight song, found some Yale shirts and filled in as the Yale marching band for the game.
And to everyone’s surprise, Yale won! Supported by some band geeks from halfway across the country who didn’t want the underdog to have to play in silence.
Unfortunately, there are no shortage of Harvey Updikes in this world.
People who want to poison you. People who, once they’ve gotten everything they can out of you, turn their back on you and tell everyone how you’ve done them wrong.
It’s sad and embarrassing. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
And, at the risk of sounding trite and unpolished, it hurts and it sucks.
But there are also just as many University of Idaho marching bands out there. People who, even when they have nothing personal to gain, will lift you up and support you.
Who will beat their drums and blow their trumpets and practice all night to learn your fight song.
It’s up to you to choose which noise you listen to.