Having been duly questioned about my last post, I offer a
different comparison. As reported by the Stanford Athletic Department (read here), “Stanford’s
mascot and nickname have a history that dates back to the University’s founding
in 1891. While the Cardinal has always been one of the school’s official
colors, the nickname has gone through a series of changes, student votes,
controversy and confusion.” Okay, that’s
familiar.
“Stanford officially adopted the Indian nickname on Nov. 25,
1930 after a unanimous vote by the Executive Committee for the Associated
Students. The Indian had long been considered the symbol of Stanford before the
official vote, although its origins are only speculation.” Okay, that’s about the time the Chief became our school’s cherished
symbol.
“The Indian symbol was eventually dropped in 1972 following
meetings between Stanford native American students and President Richard Lyman.
The 55 students, supported by the other 358 American Indians enrolled in
California colleges, felt the mascot was an insult to their culture and
heritage. As a result of these talks and the ensuing publicity, the Stanford
Student Senate voted 18-4 to drop the Indian symbol, and Lyman agreed.” Okay, that sounds like the news story
yesterday and today.
“In 1978, another group comprised of 225 varsity athletes
from 18 teams, started a petition for the mascot to be the griffin – a
mythological animal with the body and hind legs of a lion and head and wings of
an eagle. The University moved two griffin statues from the Children’s Hospital
to a grassy area between Encina Gym and Angel Field. The campaign for the
Griffins failed.” Okay, that sounds like
a cautionary tale for Illinois.
“The Mascot: There is no official mascot at Stanford
University. The "Tree," which is a member of the Stanford Band, is
representative of El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree which is the logo of the city
of Palo Alto. Since Stanford University and Palo Alto are almost inextricably
intertwined in interests and location, it is a natural outgrowth of this
relationship. The tree still exists and stands by the railroad bridge beside
San Francisquito Creek – it is the site where early explorers first camped when
settling the area.” Okay, maybe we’ll be
the BONEYARD.
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