Learning to love the University of Georgia goes hand in hand with learning to love the general quirkiness of Athens, Georgia itself. Most college towns have their eccentrics and eccentricities, and Athens is no different.
But it's doubtful that any college town in America has had anything more eccentric than the Tree That Owns Itself. The story goes that prominent Athenian William Henry Jackson had a strong affection for the white oak tree near the corner of South Finley and Dearing Street in Athens. Legend had it that Jackson treasured fond childhood memories from playing under the tree, unlikely given that Jackson's childhood was spent in Jefferson County, not Clarke.