Each spring, the TCU campus blooms with thousands of colorful tulips, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1986. 

What began as a philanthropic gift from the late Mary Evans Beasley has become an emblem of spring at TCU.

Mary Evans and her husband, Theodore, former members of the TCU Board of Trustees, are remembered as some of TCU’s most generous benefactors. Their legacy on campus extends beyond the tulips. Theodore Prentis Beasley Hall is an academic building that proudly bears their name. 

Tulips are starting to bloom in front of Mary Couts Burnett Library. (Photo courtesy of Texas Christian University via Facebook)

In an article with TCU Magazine, the late Chancellor William H. Tucker said Mrs. Beasley was interested in all things beautiful. She was especially passionate about flowers.

“The Beasleys and I had been talking, as we regularly did, and I suggested a gift for campus beautification,” said Tucker. “For Mary, it became the perfect match of donor and project.”

The Mary Evans Endowment Fund for Campus Beautification supports the TCU Landscape and Grounds department each year, funding the tulips that bloom across campus. 

Today, the Landscape and Grounds department brings Mary’s love for flowers to life by planting a wide variety of flowers across campus, including impatiens, geraniums, petunias, periwinkle, pentas, pansies, violas, and tulip bulbs.  

“We plant around 20,000 tulip bulbs each year, which cost around 50 cents apiece,” said Erik Trevino, the director of TCU Landscape and Grounds. “Supplemental funding from the endowment enables us to make our amazing spring tulip display the very best!” 

Tulips spring up in front of The Harrison. (Photo courtesy of Texas Christian University via Facebook)

To ensure specific tulip bulbs are available, the Landscape and Grounds team orders bulbs in the summer.

“Our supplier imports only the best bulbs from Holland,” said Trevino.

The planting begins around late November or early December. 

“Mrs. Beasley’s generosity and vision have shaped TCU’s campus in a way that is both beautiful and deeply meaningful,” said Julie Whitt, the associate vice chancellor for Donor Relations. “Season after season, we are reminded of her lasting impact as we walk across campus and see the care reflected in every landscape,” Whitt said that Tulip season is a joyous time. “It’s a gift our Horned Frog community continues to enjoy and celebrate every single year.”