Harvey Almorn Updyke Jr. is SUCH a Jerk!

I don't know the guy, but I know ABOUT him ... he's the fool that decided it would be a good idea to deliberately poison the 130-year-old oak trees at Toomer's Corner! I have seen a lot of photos of him, but I won't post any ... the man seriously creeps me out, and I just don't want to look at him again.



Toomer's Corner at Auburn University

 You see, it turns out that he didn't like it when the University of Alabama lost the 'Iron Bowl' to Auburn last November. Updyke called a syndicated radio show at the end of January and said he had poured Spike 80DF herbicide on the historic trees at Toomer's Corner, where fans have long celebrated big wins and hundreds gathered after the Tigers won the football national championship on Jan.10th.

Auburn took soil samples and found that not only did he use a lethal dose, but that this particular herbicide is extremely active and persistent - It's very likely to be in the soil for 3 to 5 years. Updyke was charged with one count of first-degree criminal mischief and, if convicted, could face one to 10 years in prison. Personally, I'm betting he gets Community Service and a fine of about fifty bucks.



"It's not looking good, but we're doing what we can to give the trees a fighting chance."



 I'm not to  thrilled with Auburn U either. They haven't exactly done right by their supposed 'iconic' oak trees! 

The trees are fragile to begin with and being party magnets doesn't help. According to al.com, they are well north of their usual range, they're on a busy street corner, and they're regularly covered in toilet paper (after the game against Georgia, someone set fire to the TP). "We stress them even more when we light them on fire and vehicles run into them," Keever said. "We use fire hoses to blow the toilet paper off them and that blows off a lot of buds."

Some way to treat an ICON!



After this year's game against Georgia, someone set fire to the TP!!!


I happen to be a big fan of trees. I think it was about the time I ran across the poem by Joyce Kilmer in English class that I began to appeciate how special they are.  They may be inanimate objects, but they are living breathing objects. Yes . . .  breathing for us!  Ever heard of Photosynthesis?

I felt disheartened when I heard the news story about those huge old trees at Auburn. I had no idea that you could literally 'murder' a tree, but there is something disturbing about that. Trees seem sort of spiritual to me. Ever reaching toward the heavens and growing so old and wise. They have witnessed so much of human history in this world! Sadly, this incident was not one of our shining moments ...



One of my all-time favorite poems ...