Any respectable Elon University student knows the word Elon means “oak” in Hebrew. At Commencement, this translation is taken literally. Graduating seniors have been given an oak sapling at the end of Commencement every year since President J. Fred Young began the tradition in 1992, according to George Troxler, professor emeritus of history.
But many would be surprised to know Young’s idea was actually sparked by a redwood tree a year earlier.
Furman Moseley, a graduate of the Class of 1956, gave Elon’s Commencement address in 1991. After discussing his career in the California timber business, he gave each graduate a redwood sapling to symbolize the importance of growth through hard work.
“Dr. Young picked up on the idea, but there were concerns that redwood saplings didn’t survive well in all climates,” Troxler said. “He liked the idea of giving students a sapling, and the obvious thing was to give them an oak sapling. The tradition has continued without interruption ever since.”
But the giving of symbolic items didn’t stop there. In 2000, President Leo Lambert had an idea that helped the oak sapling tradition come full circle: the giving of an acorn to all freshman students at New Student Convocation.
“He felt it provided a beginning and an end,” Troxler said.“When you come to Elon, you receive an acorn, which is obviously the beginning of the sapling. Then you receive your sapling [at graduation] and continue to nourish it and let it grow.”
The process of giving out saplings requires campus-wide involvement. Tom Flood, assistant director of Physical Plant and director of Landscaping and Grounds, is in charge of ordering the saplings and caring for them until they’re passed out to graduates.
“I enjoy handing out the saplings, and I always run into a few graduates who have their freshman acorn with them,” Flood said. “Obtaining and preparing the sapling is only one small thing that my staff and I do, but to many graduates, that little tree grows to become an important and tangible reminder of their time and education at Elon.”
Unfortunately, graduates don’t always care for their sapling properly.
“I know there are always students who write back during the summer who say, ‘My sapling died — can you send me another one?’” Troxler said.
But Troxler said these students are a minority, and most graduates are very invested in the care of their sapling.This includes Camille DeMere ’11, who had her parents plant the tree in their backyard for her.
“My parents drove the sapling home and my dad has been caring for it ever since,” DeMere said. “He sends me pictures every now and then of its growth. It actually just got big enough that he tied it loosely to another oak so it will keep growing straight.”
For DeMere, the tree is a nostalgic reminder of her attachment to her alma mater, and she hopes the sapling tradition will continue at Elon.
“I think the saplings are a really great idea,” she said. “I know I have coins and cords and little knickknacks from graduation, but I don’t really attach fond memories to those objects. Whereas with the tree, I tell people about the tradition whenever I get an emailed picture of its growth on my phone"