from the archives
It wasn’t until the 1950s that the question of a college mascot became a serious concern.
WHAT’S IN A MASCOT? Deconstructing the Colby-Sawyer Charger by Kelli Bogan
THOUGHTS OF COLLEGE bring certain symbols to mind: brick buildings, ceremonies and traditions like commencement, school songs, school colors and, of course, the mascot. Of these symbols, the mascot is one of the most recognized and honored not just by the college community but also by rival institutions and the public. The appearance of a college’s mascot at sporting events is a time-honored tradition at colleges across the country, and Colby-Sawyer is no exception. You may be most familiar with Colby-Sawyer’s Charger, but this strapping horse was not the college’s first mascot. During the Colby Junior College days, it was common (as at other women’s colleges of the time) for each class to select its own mascot. In 1942, for example, Teddy was the senior class mascot, and Judy Sue was the junior class mascot. Both were present at Colby Recreational Association events and then became memories when the classes graduated. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the question of a college mascot 86 colby-sawyer college magazine
became a serious concern. A front-page article in the April 1955 Kearsarge Beacon, the junior college’s student newspaper, pointed out that the college lacked a mascot. The author noted that mascots had primarily been part of men’s or coeducational institutions and listed Yale and Boston University as examples. The author argued that the mascot was more than a good luck charm; it was a symbol of the school itself and part of the institution’s larger tradition. The author also asserted that women’s colleges generally didn’t have a mascot in the same sense that men’s colleges did—they often had stuffed animals or a pet beagle that would be passed down from class to class—and Colby Junior College didn’t even have that. The Beacon writer argued that a mascot would “provide another segment of tradition and school unity to the college. The expense would be at a minimum and the gain would be long lasting.” To rectify this situation, the newspaper decided to hold a contest to select a college mascot. The contest rules were simple. Students in each residence hall were allowed to submit one entry, complete with a drawing of the mascot. Entries were posted on a bulletin board in Colgate Hall. The vote was held, and on May 9, 1955, the newspaper announced that the Colby Junior College mascot was the kangaroo. The Down Under wonder was proposed by Pam Winder ʼ56, Jean Crowell ʼ56, Alice Taeffner ʼ56 and Nancy Beyer ʼ56 of Colgate Hall; they recommended that the kangaroo be blue with contrasting white to match the school colors. Production of stuffed animals and stickers was slated for the fall of 1955. In the May 23 issue of the Kearsarge Beacon, Colby the Kangaroo (whose baby ’roo went by Junior) wrote a letter of introduction: