Not All Ironic T-Shirts Are Humorous

Yesterday, I threw on this t-shirt and, for the first time, realized it was more than a little ironic. This was a t-shirt I ordered as a give-away for the Summer Honors College we hosted at Taylor University Fort Wayne in the summer of 2008. I bought the shirts from my friends at Church Art Works in Salem, Oregon.

I chose the theme “Start Strong to Finish Strong,” with the idea that getting an early start on college studies can help students be successful in college. Only yesterday, more than a year after Taylor University closed the doors of the Fort Wayne campus, did I realize that this shirt summed up the life cycle of TUFW.

From its very beginning, as Summit Christian College was “acquired by” or “merged into” Taylor or whatever, TU didn’t help the Fort Wayne campus start strong. At times, it seemed that the main campus was even hindering the efforts in Fort Wayne. And indeed, eventually, the campus did not finish strong. Sad and ironic.

Start strong to finish strong. Shoulda tried that, Taylor University.