Say goodbye to those cold, gray days of winter because spring has officially arrived to TCU! The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and, of course, tulips have taken over flowerbeds around campus. Nothing brightens up my walk to class more than looking down and seeing those vibrant, picturesque floral arrangements line the sidewalks. TCU is known for being a beautiful campus, but during the spring, our school truly cranks it up a notch and shines brighter than the rest. No one can hold a candle to our spring tulips. Although we all know the tulips are here, either by seeing them with our own eyes or through the countless pictures posted on our friends’ Instagram accounts, many do not know why TCU spends the time or resources to keep the tulips fresh in the spring months. This is all thanks to people like TCU benefactor Mary Evans Beasley who believed in the importance of maintaining the magnificence of our campus.
Over Mrs. Beasley’s lifetime, she made a series of donations totaling $450,000 to create the Mary Evans Beasley Endowment for Campus Beautification. Upon Mrs. Mary Evan Beasley’s death, TCU received another gift of $100,000 to be added to this dream of keeping TCU beautiful.
These donations support the consistently changing landscape of TCU by funding the various flowerbeds throughout campus. When they are not filled with tulips, the planting arrangements include beautiful bulbs and annuals of daffodils, hyacinths, pansies, petunias, geraniums, and begonias. This left a legacy that now past, present, and future horned frogs have been able to enjoy and will continue to enjoy as the years go by.
I never truly appreciated the tulip before I attended TCU, but now as I enter into the second spring semester of my college experience, I can honestly say they are one of the big reasons why I love my school.
It may seem silly, but I love that TCU cares about the experience you have when you are on campus. They remind me how blessed I am to attend a university that cares about my holistic experience as a student. It is something I will remember being special about my TCU experience and something that makes this school stand out when compared to others.
Of course, I love TCU for more than the flowerbeds that I come across while walking from class to class, but that small gesture of keeping TCU beautiful fills me with a sense of horned frog pride I want to share with the rest of the world. So, next time you walk past a newly planted arrangement of flowers, spend an extra moment to stop to smell the roses (or, for our case, tulips).
Take in a deep breath and remember that you attend a university that cares about your particular and personal experience here as a student. Remember that you are apart of something special and you are lucky enough to share in that beauty of our campus, of our home. Then, take all of that flower power in and use it to inspire you to have the best day possible at #TulipChristianUniversity.