Of the many wonderful Christmas traditions and debacles, few compare with Baylor's grand Parade of the Trees, which was held between 1918 and 1926. As many of you may remember, this tradition involved student organizations mounting giant pine trees on flatbed trucks, lighting them up with candles, and parading them down Austin Avenue and around to 5th Street through the heart of Waco and Baylor's campus.
The problem was that the parade was a terrible fire hazard. By 1922, the event had gotten quite large, with over 100 trees, many over 80 feet tall. That year, which was very dry, several trees caught fire from the motion and the candles, burst into flames and toppled on people, cars, horse-lorries, and residences. Over 300 homes, 49 businesses and the Baylor gymnasium were destroyed by flames. The next year, 1923, was even worse, as the entire downtown was destroyed by cascading, flaming trees like some kind of forestry-based horror movie. Given the terrible destruction, Baylor's governing body, the Board of Intenders, were asked to address the problem. They did devote five minutes to the issue, but misconstrued the concern, thinking that the problem was not the destruction of town and campus, but a lack of Christian symbolism. Rather than cancelling or altering the Parade of Trees, they mandated that a giant candle-lit cross be included amongst the trees. Thus, in 1924, along with the entire Baylor campus being engulfed in flames causing the deaths of fully 1/3 of the student body, the nation was treated to the sight of a giant flaming cross (it, too, caught fire from the candles, like the trees), with "Baylor" written down the front, being paraded through town behind a truck driven by President Brooks. In the picture appearing in the New York Times, Brooks is seen waving merrily as behind him the huge wheeled cross shoots flames 200 feet into the air and the city's central business district is being destroyed by fire.
Still, the Board of Intenders failed to schedule a meeting to address the problem. In 1925, huge crowds of arsonists, racists, documentary film-makers and personal injury lawyers gathered for the Parade of Trees, and were treated not only to the now-traditional burning cross but to the burning down of the entire Baylor campus for the second year in a row.
At this point, some began insisting that the Board of Intenders take action, but they were unable to do so. To prove this, Chairman Billy ("Skink") Mortenson produced the schedule for their fall meeting, which was already filled with receptions, meetings of the floral committee and the like, which allowed for only 20 minutes for general business, a period during which their cars were kept waiting outside.
1926 was a complete debacle, with a parade which resulted in the utter destruction of not only Waco, but nearly all forested areas of McLennon County. This was the last year for the Parade of Trees, however, as a foul-up in Pat Neff Hall (this was the era in which typewriter maintenance was skimped upon) resulted in an announcement of the "Annual Parade of Thees," which resulted in nearly 500 Quakers marching peaceably through town. This, finally, engaged the Intenders, who swept into town intent on protecting Baylor's Baptist heritage, a goal accomplished by a highly efficient attack on the pacifists by the armed Equestrian team, an act which quickly terminated not only the demon pacifists but the parade itself, and thus ended yet another Baylor tradition.
The problem was that the parade was a terrible fire hazard. By 1922, the event had gotten quite large, with over 100 trees, many over 80 feet tall. That year, which was very dry, several trees caught fire from the motion and the candles, burst into flames and toppled on people, cars, horse-lorries, and residences. Over 300 homes, 49 businesses and the Baylor gymnasium were destroyed by flames. The next year, 1923, was even worse, as the entire downtown was destroyed by cascading, flaming trees like some kind of forestry-based horror movie. Given the terrible destruction, Baylor's governing body, the Board of Intenders, were asked to address the problem. They did devote five minutes to the issue, but misconstrued the concern, thinking that the problem was not the destruction of town and campus, but a lack of Christian symbolism. Rather than cancelling or altering the Parade of Trees, they mandated that a giant candle-lit cross be included amongst the trees. Thus, in 1924, along with the entire Baylor campus being engulfed in flames causing the deaths of fully 1/3 of the student body, the nation was treated to the sight of a giant flaming cross (it, too, caught fire from the candles, like the trees), with "Baylor" written down the front, being paraded through town behind a truck driven by President Brooks. In the picture appearing in the New York Times, Brooks is seen waving merrily as behind him the huge wheeled cross shoots flames 200 feet into the air and the city's central business district is being destroyed by fire.
Still, the Board of Intenders failed to schedule a meeting to address the problem. In 1925, huge crowds of arsonists, racists, documentary film-makers and personal injury lawyers gathered for the Parade of Trees, and were treated not only to the now-traditional burning cross but to the burning down of the entire Baylor campus for the second year in a row.
At this point, some began insisting that the Board of Intenders take action, but they were unable to do so. To prove this, Chairman Billy ("Skink") Mortenson produced the schedule for their fall meeting, which was already filled with receptions, meetings of the floral committee and the like, which allowed for only 20 minutes for general business, a period during which their cars were kept waiting outside.
1926 was a complete debacle, with a parade which resulted in the utter destruction of not only Waco, but nearly all forested areas of McLennon County. This was the last year for the Parade of Trees, however, as a foul-up in Pat Neff Hall (this was the era in which typewriter maintenance was skimped upon) resulted in an announcement of the "Annual Parade of Thees," which resulted in nearly 500 Quakers marching peaceably through town. This, finally, engaged the Intenders, who swept into town intent on protecting Baylor's Baptist heritage, a goal accomplished by a highly efficient attack on the pacifists by the armed Equestrian team, an act which quickly terminated not only the demon pacifists but the parade itself, and thus ended yet another Baylor tradition.
