Surprisingly, it started with a redwood tree.

When Furman Moseley, Class of 1956, gave Elon University’s commencement address in 1991, he had no idea he was planting the seed of tradition at his alma mater.

Moseley spoke about his career in the California timber business, offering each graduate a redwood sapling to solidify the metaphor for life, hard work and growth.

“President (Fred) Young and the students loved it so much, he wanted to continue it,” said George Troxler, professor emeritus of history. “He made a change from redwood to oak saplings for obvious reasons, but it’s been that way ever since.”

Troxler was serving as dean of cultural and special programs at the time of Moseley’s gift and has seen the tradition become rooted in the university’s culture.

“I knew Moseley was planning to give the graduates saplings, but I didn’t know how it would go over,” he said. “But it really took off.”

Young began offering students oak saplings, to honor the university’s Hebrew namesake, in 1992. Seven years later, Leo Lambert arrived at Elon and began a new tradition.

“Lambert added the final piece to the puzzle: giving students the acorn at New Student Convocation,” Troxler said.

The four years an acorn takes to become an oak represent the Elon experience. According to Troxler, Lambert does a nice job explaining the significance of the tradition to incoming students, and again when graduates accept their saplings.

For Troxler, the story of the saplings ends long after graduation.

“I’m usually the one who gets notes saying ‘My sapling didn’t make it home,’” he said. “We try to replace them if we can.”

Finding an extra sapling isn’t hard at the university. Tom Flood, assistant director of Physical Plant and director of landscaping and grounds is responsible for ordering and caring for the young oaks each year. He purchases the saplings, gets them to campus and waters them until the big day.

According to Troxler, the university orders more than 1,200 saplings a year.

“We probably buy more oak saplings than anyone else in the state,” he said. “I bet we probably keep the nurseries in business.”

This year, as the Class of 2012 celebrates its rich history and promising future, the beloved tradition celebrates its 20th anniversary. Once again, the university adds a little green to the sea of maroon and gold.

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What now?

Although exams are finished and textbooks are returned, there are a few things left to learn before leaving Elon. Caring for a young oak requires attention, so consider the following tips when taking a sapling to its new home.

-When planting a sapling, clear a three-foot circle of all vegetation that allows full access to sunlight and good soil.

- Place the oak into a one foot wide, two foot deep hole. Slope the soil away from the seedling so that the water does not sit at the trunk of the tree.

- Water the tree daily or weekly, as needed. The soil around the bur oak should be kept moist but not saturated

-Excess water can promote root rot, a harmful fungus or drown the young sapling.

-Remember an oak will eventually be a large tree, so don’t plant it too close to buildings, sidewalks, or driveways. [/box]