Stanfordmag.org editor Summer Moore Batte, ’99, has been pining to step into the Stanford Tree’s trunk for 15 years now, but the first five mascots she approached Treejected her outright. Some ideas, though, are evergreen, and this year’s Tree, Caroline Kushel, ’21, generously extended a branch. After enduring an entire hour of Kushel’s punishing training, Batte was granted the privilege of donning the sacred foliage at the Stanford vs. CSU Fullerton basketball game. And we filmed it:
30 Approximate weight, in pounds, of costume.
9 Approximate height, in feet, of the Tree when strapped to adult human.
44 People who have ever been the Tree (42 students, 1 middle-aged alum journalist, and 1 former ESPN columnist who shall not be named and shall forever be that alum’s nemesis).
1 Doorways bashed due to excessive height.
2 Times the Tree was greeted respectfully as “ma’am.”
0 Pounds lost from being the Tree. Dang it.
Who should Summer be next? Tell us at dialogue@alumni.stanford.edu.
