Jennifer Halley Campus Life Editor
The 47th annual tree lighting ceremony, that has become a holiday tradition to both students and residents of Monmouth, kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The longstanding tradition began Nov. 23, 1967, when the 122-foot-tall sequoia tree – in between Todd and Campbell Halls, was lit for the first time that evening, according to the Lamron, Western’s student newspaper at the time.
For that first lighting, the tree, which was planted on campus in the late 1800s, consisted of “100 strings of multi-colored lights – a total of 2,500 bulbs. [It] will be crowned with a lighted star,” the Monmouth Herald said.
The first tree lighting was conducted by the Monmouth fire department and employees of the Oregon College of Education (OCE), what is now Western. “They used a ‘special extension ladder’ to reach the top,” The Monmouth Herald added.
A couple years after the first lighting, the fire department and Vernon McFarland, an OCE employee, received plaques to honor their hard work and diligence in keeping the tradition alive, even though it had been around for only a few years at that time.
President Leonard W. Rice, for which Rice Auditorium was named after, was given the opportunity to light to first tree in 1967.
The tree lighting tradition almost came to an abrupt halt in 1993 “when college officials announced they could not afford to light the tree, ending a 26-year tradition,” the Statesman Journal said.
The article continued, “President Richard Meyers said state
budget cuts in higher education made the $5,600 expense for lights seem wasteful.”
Due to the city’s diligent fire department and its dedicated residents, donations were made and enough money was given to allow the tradition to continue.
Then, an agreement was signed by the fire department and the college that said the college would provide electricity and the fire department would hang the lights for the tree.
For many students, the tree lighting ceremony signifies what Western is all about.
“[It] sets a precedent for the rest of the year,” Bryan Kelley, a junior at Western said. He added that the tree symbolizes “harmony,” “peace” and “good will” for both Western and the community of Monmouth.
The tree also represents what the purpose of the event is: to bring everyone together and to celebrate the holidays as a whole community, said Cheyenne Standing-Elk, senior and director of Student Activities Board at Western.
“This event brings school and community together,” Standing-Elk added. “Families travel from out of town, family members come together, elementary schools are involved, and even people who live in Independence comes to it.”
Each year, according to the Journal in 2000, “Western traditions have drawn larger and larger crowds every year and serve to unify the student body through the power of their own creation.”
This year’s tree lighting will be Dec. 5 at 6 p.m., with a holiday parade, pictures with Santa, and a bake-off sale, as well as a choir performance in the Pacific Room.
