Diadeloso? Muy Fabuloso!

It’s spring Y’all. That means that sometimes, it is just too nice outside to stay in the lab. Baylor agrees with this sentiment and has a day specifically for community building and relaxing. Diadeloso (day of the bear) has been a tradition on Baylor’s campus dating back to 1932 with the mission to “bring smiles to the faces of students”. It was first started by Pat Neff as a way to take students minds off of the, at the time ongoing, Great Depression. Shown below is an excerpt from the university newspaper commemorating the first occurrence.

Over the past 90 years, the form of dia has shifted. What once was largely composed of intramural tournaments now has expanded to include live music, axe throwing, and petting zoos. Through these shifts, dia has not lost its purpose; we gather together in a day of recreation to experience community together, to spend time enjoying the gifts given to us, and to prepare to finish the semester strong.

The Gallagher Group —strangely motivated by that siren’s call that is free food— got in on the fun times. We enjoyed eating BBQ, seeing the kangaroos, and chatting in the sunshine. While we were there, we ran into a lot of our friends and colleagues in the chem department. It was a good day. Below are a few photos of us enjoying our time. This day of camaraderie makes it easy to reflect on the things we are appreciative of. We are grateful for the program we are in, the labmates we surround ourselves with, the mentoring we receive, the equipment we use, the university around us, and the ability to enjoy a spring day.