re: Harvey Updyke update.... and tree update

thanks, but i finally found it:

"McAdory Lipscomb, who operated Toomer's Drugstore for more than 30 years, estimates that while the corner has been a popular gathering place for generations, the initial rolling of the corner occurred around 1962. At first, only the power and telephone lines were rolled–not the trees–and only for away-game victories.

As part of urban renewal, the city removed all the power lines and went to underground utilities. With no power lines to roll, the trees took the full brunt of the rolling.

Legend also has it that "Rolling Toomer's" began as early as the 1940s, when away-game victories were announced via toilet paper after news had come in to Toomer's Drugstore, which boasted the only wireless in the area.

The year 1989 may have marked the fans' move from rolling the intersection to rolling other trees down the street. The Auburn-Alabama game took place at Birmingham's Legion Field, but on Dec. 2, 1989, the series finally came to Auburn. When the Tigers secured their 30-20 victory, the celebration at Toomer's Corner couldn't be contained to just the intersection, according to some."

the entire article can be read here for those interested:

LINK

No problem. This is from a 2007 article in the AU alumni magazine about why the trees were dying.

quote:

---

It could have been a change in the traffic lights, a deliberate move to improve safety, or just a natural migration. Whatever the reason, the year 1989 might have marked the fan's move from rolling the intersection traffic lights after away games to rolling the oaks after every victory.

---

LINK

It talks about how occasional rolling of the corner and sometimes even the trees, is remembered as far back as 1950 or so, and how any tp in the trees was prohibited for a long time because students set the tp on the corner on fire. Rolling the trees wasn't significantly involved until after the Iron Bowl moved to AU.

Actually, I was at AU's only big home win in 1991, and there were only a small handful of people tp'ing the trees, even at that point.

ETA - Your "quote" contains a deliberate misquote. Uncool, even for an AU fan....

quote:

---

No problem. This is from a 2007 article in the AU alumni magazine about why the trees were dying.

---

quote:

---

It could have been a change in the traffic lights, a deliberate move to improve safety, or just a natural migration. Whatever the reason, the year 1989 might have marked the fan's move from rolling the intersection traffic lights after away games to rolling the oaks after every victory.

---

you forgot the following part of the story:

"No one can really say whether the '89 Iron Bowl actually represented the permanent move from rolling the intersection to rolling the trees, but it does make a good story."

quote:

---

HailToTheChiz

---

quote:

---

They rolled the power lines and lamp posts. The trees were off limits because students would set fire to the toilet paper. Actual rolling of the trees began in 1989 after the UA game.

One of AU's horticulture professors wrote a really informative piece on the trees in 2007. You should google it....

---

quote:

---

False.

If they knew the students would set the paper on fire, that means they would have rolled it earlier.

---

True. Read the story. This was published in 2007 and the tree doctor in charge of the oaks says the trees were dying.

Also talks about how the light poles at the intersection were rolled.

1989 may have marked the move from rolling the traffic lights to rolling the trees. You could say, "blame it on Bama." In 1989, the Ironbowl game was first played in Auburn and the Tigers beat Alabama. The fans could not be contained and the trees got rolled.

Too Late for Toomer's Trees

quote:

---

You forgot the part of the story where this came from an '87 grad, meaning it did not happen before 1989

---

so the one guy interviewed for the story has become the unequivocal expert on rolling toomer's history?

hey, i just got off the phone with a neighbor of mine who graduated in '82 and he says they rolled both toomers oaks and samford hall. must be true, amirite?

quote:

---

so the

quote:

---

one guy

---

interviewed for the story has become the unequivocal expert on rolling toomer's history?

---

The one guy who is currently a contract administrator at Auburn? Yeah, he is certainly more believable than you OR your imaginary neighbor.

AU officials say it's true. Jethro says no. Whom to believe......

State or federal, it's still ridiculous. What he did was wrong, but it's not like he fricking murdered someone

quote:

---

State or federal, it's still ridiculous. What he did was wrong, but it's not like he fricking murdered someone

---

so you'd let him off scott-free?

Silence on the matter is admission to the boom, brah....

Thanks for playing.