Have you seen the hundreds of tulips that cover Texas Christian University's campus every spring?
This is only possible because of one girl's wish to beautify the campus.
Mary Beasley, a former member of the TCU Board of Trustees, was passionate about the beautification of TCU's campus.
Instead of donating funds to the general upkeep of the university, Beasley created the Mary Evans Beasley Endowment Fund for Campus Beautification.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The $800,000 fund goes to the beautification of the campus' landscaping - watering the flower beds, purchasing seeds, and rotating the beds.
Around $50,000 of the fund each year goes specifically to the tulips.
According to Erik Trevino, the Director of Landscaping and Grounds at TCU, flowers only last one season so his team has to change out the flower beds multiple times a year.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"It costs a lot of money to do that," said Trevino. "So, it was her investment years ago that keeps our campus beautiful."
The fund has covered the costs of tulip bulbs and upkeep for over 36 years now.
"When I first heard this story my freshman year, I thought it was a myth," said Connor Milliman, a senior TCU student. "I think about how much of a difference she made here, every time I walk around campus."
Trevino said Beasley got her inspiration from the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom.
"She traveled overseas and there she saw how beautiful flowers could make a society," said Trevino. "Flowers make a place so welcoming and so wonderful to visit."
Trevino said similar to the flowers in the UK, the tulips are a major attraction to TCU. People visit campus from all over the nation to see the flowers.
When Beasley passed away at the age of 102 in 2005, an extra $100,000 was donated to the fund.
Students said Beasley's legacy lives on through the tulips every year.
