On Monday, Feb. 9, the “Lightning Tree” on Whitworth University campus was cut down by Whitworth’s arborist and groundskeeping teams.
The tree, located near the Chapel and Dixon Hall, was struck by lightning during a storm in 2018. Students named it the “Lightning Tree,” and it has played a prominent part in the Fake History of Whitworth campus.
Fake History is run by Resident Assistants (RAs) during the week that first-year students move into the dorms. RAs take first-year students to different locations on campus and share fake lore and stories about them. The goal of Fake History is to create community and memories for students’ first week on campus. “The tree getting cut down has an impact… it used to be one of the recurring things we would go to,” said Ryland Gabriel, a former RA for McMillan Hall.
Gabriel’s fake history for the tree was that “You couldn’t touch it because there was a microorganism growing in rebellion against BMac on it.” According to Gabriel, some Ballard and McMillan Hall (BMac) residents feel neutral about the tree getting cut down, while others who have memories of the Lightning Tree are most likely surprised…