by Bethany Singleton

Around noon on Oct. 5, six students turned in the sought-after Crook. The Crook is a large, wooden stick that has been carved with the names of all previous students who found it.

The tradition of hiding the Crook before Founders’ Day was started in 1926 by the seniors of the Alabama College, the University of Montevallo’s former name. Since then, finding the Crook has been opened to all students on campus. Students bring the Crook to the President’s office in Calkins Hall, and the winners are announced at Founders’ Day. 

To lead students in the right direction of the Crook, clues are published daily leading up to Founders’ Day. The first clue, created by four-time winners Rachel Johnson and Cole Swain, stated, “before they lived among the flowers, another doorstep welcomed them home. The home has changed, but their names still stand around us,” as seen on the University of Montevallo’s official Instagram page.

The Crook was hidden in bushes outside of Palmer Hall and referenced two of UM’s previous presidents, Peterson and Palmer. “They kept looking for [the Crook], and after I got out of class we met together,” says Luke McVeigh. “We checked all the other feasible locations… and the only other place it could’ve been was Palmer Hall with the clue given.”  

The six students who found the Crook this year are Emmie Koehn, Hadley Spreng, Olivia Lepczyk, Luke McVeigh, Carson Moses and Pat Walston. The original Crook remains preserved and on display in the Alumni Affairs office.