It is a mystery as to when Peanut Week was started at William Peace University. Dawn Dillon, faculty member and Peace alumna as well as a Peanut Week fanatic has participated in the festivities for eighteen years. Dillon asked no returned librarian, Paul King, to research the the beginning of Peanut Week in the Peace Archives. King determined that it started anywhere from 1949 to 1951 but was most likely started in 1951 as it was mentioned in the Student Government Association notes. In those years, the Chaplain of Peace ran this tradition instead of Student Services. Dillon further explains that the week was named Peanut Week was because back in 1951 the term peanut was a term of endearment referring to one’s best pal. “Peanut Week was started because it was nice to have someone doing something nice for someone else right around Valentine’s Day,” said Dillon. Peanut Week began to lose participation around 2007, but the beloved tradition has been saved with better advertising and word of mouth. The Peanut Week reveal party was added as a way for participants to meet their Peanut.
The tradition has thrived because of the joy it brings to other people. “It is not about the monetary value of the gifts because some of the best gifts are homemade. Plus it is fun giving and receiving from this week especially when you give what you would want to receive. In addition, the Peanut Party is a great added bonus that you can now meet the person who has been giving you all the wonderful gifts and it is also nice to meet the person who you had been giving gifts to, especially hearing about their favorite gift of the week,” said Dillon. Johnna Chance, a sophomore at Peace and participant of Peanut Week for two years, further adds that, “I love the Peanut Party where I get to see who my peanut was and my peanut gets to see who I am. I really like giving gifts and making the gifts for my peanut but receiving the gifts is always nice too. It is a really sweet tradition here at Peace.”
Each participant in Peanut Week always has great stories about their peanuts over the years. Dillon discusses her favorite peanuts and how much joy each unique person brought to their gifts. “Christian Sineath brought me unusual gifts which were always delivered either by someone else to me or were placed into my office. The last gift she gave me was a picture of a fairy godmother and it was in my office for many years. Sarah Osborne was my peanut one year and her mother and I graduated from Peace College together so Sarah’s mother helped make my gifts that year. At the end of the week Sarah gave me a CD compilation of songs from the past and the present. Lucy Stone made me a cake in the form a peace sign one year it was really a great gift.” Chance discusses how seeing her peanut react to her gifts on social media and getting her gift this
year was truly marvelous. “Seeing Tarecka Payne this year post on social media such as Instagram and Facebook about how awesome her peanut gifts were really made me feel pretty awesome. Also getting the Taco Bell gift card and Wonder Woman t-shirt this year at the Peanut Reveal Party from Brittany Humphries was really awesome. It’s like she knew me so well even though we are not super close,” said Chance.
For more information about Peanut Week e-mail Lara Lee King at LLKing@peace.edu or visit her at Student Services on the second floor of the new bookstore.
