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Gathering Place

After a controversial start, Frog Fountain is now the heart of Campus Commons.

By TCU Magazine

August 10^th, 2023

by Rachel Stowe Master

As the centerpiece of west campus, Frog Fountain draws prospective students envisioning themselves at TCU, new graduates contemplating the adventure ahead, alumni reflecting on treasured memories and Horned Frogs at every stage in between. Yet Frog Fountain — now one of the most beloved icons on campus — was initially mired in controversy

In fall 1966, TCU’s student Spirit Committee conceived the idea for a bronze “Fightin’ Frog” statue/fountain to be designed and constructed primarily by the art department.

The initial enthusiasm didn’t last. Students couldn’t agree on a design concept or location. When a professional landscape artist projected a $10,000 minimum price tag but advised the committee to shoot for $30,000, the plans unraveled.

By fall 1968, there was a new vision for Frog Fountain — along with new controversy.

While on campus for a football game in November 1967, H. Houghton Phillips Sr. and his wife, Winnie Phillips, saw the dirt-covered quadrangle that housed the recently remodeled Brown-Lupton Student Center. Winnie Phillips mentioned that a fountain would “look nice there,” the Skiff reported. Her husband agreed and told Earl Waldrop, a senior vice chancellor, that the couple wanted to donate money for a fountain.

An architectural firm recommended Buck Winn Jr. of Wimberley, Texas, who had designed fountains around the state. Winn’s plans called for a circular base holding four lotus petals, a historic symbol of education. By situating it on the quadrangle, the Phillipses hoped the fountain would become a rallying point for students

Indeed it did.

Frog Fountain became the site of occasions both joyful and somber soon after its construction in 1969. Courtesy of TCU Library Special Collections | Linda Kaye

An original sketch of Frog Fountain by designer Buck Winn in 1968. Courtesy of TCU Library Special Collections

Courtesy of TCU Library Special Collections

Courtesy of TCU Library Special Collections

Photo by Keith Robinson

Frog Fountain has needed maintenance since being built in 1969. Workers in 1987 removed the pieces and sent them to a local shop for repairs. Courtesy of TCU Library Special Collections

The refurbished lotus petals were installed in a new base and plaza donated by the John V. Roach family. Photo by Carolyn Cruz.

Price points

An October 1968 Skiff article reported that the university delayed construction while looking for ways to reduce the initial $67,000 estimate. Some students were outraged that such a sizable donation wasn’t going toward what they considered more pressing needs, like scholarships.

Within a month, students organized and submitted a petition with 158 signatures to TCU’s House of Representatives requesting a meeting with Phillips to discuss other uses for his donation. The House rejected the petition because the signature count fell short of 10 percent of the student body.

Undeterred, two of the petitioners wrote to Phillips. He replied that he intended to go through with his commitment, but if the students raised $50,000 for a scholarship fund, he would make a substantial contribution to it, a January 1969 Skiff reported. (A search of Skiff archives did not produce any follow-up stories on the students’ fundraising efforts.)

With funding secured, TCU signed a construction contract for $69,000, and work began that spring, with the completed fountain greeting students in fall 1969.

“Lotus petals, purple frogs, white rocks and purple and white lights loom very large on the quadrangle horizon in the form of a very unusual fountain,” read a front page Skiff story.

Finding Its Place

While the Skiff dubbed the fountain “the biggest issue of the 1968-1969 school year,” the controversy subsided as students moved on to more serious matters. After members of the Ohio National Guard killed four Kent State University students during a Vietnam War protest on May 4, 1970, about 100 members of the TCU community gathered at Frog Fountain for a silent vigil.

By fall 1971, the fountain was host to Howdy Week activities — such as “the beanie brigade’s watermelon feast,” reported an August 1971 Skiff article — cementing Frog Fountain’s role as the campus gathering spot.

In May 2006, the fountain was dismantled for renovation as construction began on the $100 million Campus Commons.

The refurbished lotus petals were installed in a new base and plaza donated by the John V. Roach family. The fountain was also situated slightly closer to the student union. Larger in diameter than the original, the new pool featured Horned Frog tiles and a seawall the right height for visitors to sit on without getting splashed.

On March 16, 2008, Trustee Emeritus John V. Roach ’61 (MBA ’65) flipped the switch to officially start the Frog Fountain waters flowing again. The four stylized flutes represent classes — the tallest for seniors, the shortest for first-year students — and the water flowing between lotus petals symbolizes shared knowledge.

More than 50 years later, the donors’ original vision for the fountain has eclipsed its early controversy.

“Frog Fountain, in many ways, serves as the heartbeat of campus. Simultaneously, it’s a gathering space, a place for reflection and remembrance, and its central and elevated location makes it a must stop for all to see,” said TCU President Daniel Pullin. “Said simply, Frog Fountain is iconic. For many, it’s the first visual they think of when describing the beauty of our university to others.”

Photo by Keith Robinson

Photo by Rodger Mallison

Photo by Rodger Mallison

Photo by Andy Emery

Photo by James Anger

Did You Know?

John V. Roach’61 (MBA ’65) funded the refurbishment and relocation of Frog Fountain to the Campus Commons, a project completed in 2008. During the fountain’s dedication that spring, Luther King Jr. ’62 (MBA ’66), then chair of the Board of Trustees, described the Roach family as “the quintessential Frog family because of their love of TCU.” In addition to the restoration of Frog Fountain, the former Tandy Corporation president and CEO, who died in 2022, made significant contributions to the university alongside his wife, Jean Wiggin Roach ’66, and daughters Amy Bailey ’89 and Lori Davis ’95. They have endowed scholarships as well as the deanship of the Neeley School of Business, among other gifts. The John V. Roach Honors College is named in his honor.

© 2026 TCU Magazine

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