Viewing entries posted in March 2017

McDowell County high school yearbooks now available

The 1966 Nebo High School baseball team

Several yearbooks from various high schools in McDowell County, provided by McDowell County Public Library, are now on DigitalNC. Included are editions of The Nushka from 1963-1966 by Glenwood High School, editions of The Marionette from 1963-1966 by Marion Junior High School, editions of The Hylander from 1963-1967 by Marion High School, the 1966 Pioneer by Nebo High School, editions of The Arrowhead from 1963-1967 from Old Fort High School, and editions of The Pines by Pleasant Gardens High School from 1964, 1966, and 1967. The yearbooks join many previously digitized yearbooks from these schools. These yearbooks include photographs of clubs, activities, dances, sports, and more.

A sock hop at Marion Junior High in 1966

To view more materials from McDowell County Public Library, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.


See how UNC School of Dentistry students relaxed in 1984

Impressions [1984], page 5

Impressions [1984], page 5

Some may think that Dental School is all work and no play, but that was certainly not the case at UNC School of Dentistry during the 1980’s! Thanks to the North Carolina Collection at UNC Chapel Hill Libraries, the 1984 edition of the Impressions yearbook is now available online!

Check out the photos below for a window into the fun had by dentists in training!

Impressions [1984], page 9

Impressions [1984], page 9

Impressions [1984], page 31

Impressions [1984], page 31

Impressions [1984], page 41

Impressions [1984], page 41

Impressions [1984], page 61

Impressions [1984], page 61

Impressions [1984], page 72

Impressions [1984], page 72

To learn more about the history of UNC School of Dentistry through the materials published on Digital NC, please click the following link. To learn more about the University of North Carolina at Chapel and see other digitized items from the North Carolina Collection, please visit the contributor page or the homepage for the North Carolina Collection.


Catamounts to Camels: College Mascots in North Carolina

Mascots are a complicated phenomenon. They inspire a spectrum of reactions: ridicule, ambivalence, or fierce loyalty. With thousands of yearbooks online, all of us here at the Digital Heritage Center have probably spent more time looking at yearbooks than anyone else you’re likely to meet. Mascots are a common theme.

I’ve been working on today’s post for quite some time; unable to find a history or comprehensive list of mascots in North Carolina I decided to compile one myself. So here’s a stab at a college mascot overview, drawn from yearbooks and other campus publications. Let me know what I’ve missed or gotten wrong!

Children

In the early 20th century, schools frequently chose children as mascots or sponsors, whether for a sports team or for a particular class. The earliest example we’ve found on DigitalNC is from a 1910 publication by Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, which shows Elizabeth Settle Caldwell as the Senior Class sponsor.

Elizabeth Settle Caldwell, First North Carolina Mascot? From the 1910 Pine Knot yearbook, Atlantic Christian College.

Ms. Caldwell was the daughter of Jesse Cobb Caldwell, the college president. From what we’ve been able to tell, children mascots were frequently younger siblings of students, teachers, or others associated with the school. Students mention that Ms. Caldwell brought “solace to many a lonely, homesick heart” and this may be why children were chosen – to foster a feeling of family and comfort among students. We’ve seen several references to mascots being elected or being chosen through competition, although what this might be we haven’t been able to discover. The trend of choosing children as mascots seems to continue through the 1960s. The latest one we found is Dawn, the Senior Class mascot at Peace College (now William Peace University) in 1966.

Animals

Animal mascots span schools across the state, whether it’s Rameses at UNC-Chapel Hill or WCU’s Catamount. The bulldog and different types of cats win out as most frequently adopted. Pictures of live animal mascots start to appear in yearbooks in the early 1900s, and continue today although much less frequently. For a variety of reasons, including concerns expressed by animal rights activists, schools have shifted away from actual animals to students dressing up like animals, as you’ll see later on in this post. 

“Buc” is described here as East Carolina University’s first mascot. From the 1959 Buccaneer yearbook.

Characters

While about half of the four-year college mascots in North Carolina are animals, most of the others are characters that are historic, mythical, or extraordinary in nature. From what I’ve seen in NC yearbooks, humans dressing up as the school mascot really got traction in the 1960s. Initially, these costumes weren’t the fuzzy creations we think of today, but rather less complicated ensembles where the mascot’s identity (his or her face and body) was often apparent. Yosef the Mountaineer, beloved icon of Appalachian State University, was created sometime around 1942 and looked like this in the 1960s:

Yosef the Mountaineer, aka James Randle Tedder (we think). From the 1969 Rhododendron yearbook, Appalachian State University.

One of my favorites has to be this picture of Duke Blue Devil, from 1950:

The Blue Devil. From the 1950 Chanticleer yearbook, Duke University.

Perhaps it was too hard to maintain a degree of consistency as students graduated over the years, and mascot anonymity seemed like a better idea. Whatever the reason, you start to see fuzzy, oversized costumes with gigantic headpieces in the late 1970s.

The Big Costumes

Whether animal or character, plush mascots that include a single piece body suit with a large plastic or cloth-covered head is something most Americans can identify with, thanks to professional sports. Colleges in North Carolina really embraced these costumes through the 1980s. Here’s what the UNC-Wilmington Seahawk looked like in 1987:

The Seahawk. From the 1987 Fledgling yearbook, UNC-Wilmington.

Some schools have developed multiple mascots dedicated to different audiences. It seems like the difficulty with these types of costumes is how to pull off a fierce facial expression that doesn’t come off as goofy or too scary for children. I think this picture from Davidson College sums it all up:

The Davidson Wildcat and … friends. From the 1983 Quips and Cranks yearbook.

I will also take this opportunity to mention a mascot that routinely makes the “wait … what?” list – the Campbell University Fighting Camels:

The Campbell Camel. From the 1983 Pine Burr yearbook.

Even the humans and human-like creatures are clothed in oversized costumes these days. Wake Forest University’s Deacon is a dapper chap:

Wake Forest’s Deacon poses with fans. From the 1985 Howler yearbook.

In addition to the Demon Deacons and the Blue Devils, North Carolina boasts a number of  other spiritual mascots: North Carolina Wesleyan’s Battling Bishops, Belmont Abbey’s Crusaders, and Guilford College’s Quakers. Meredith College’s teams are known as the Avenging Angels (formerly just the Angels). While Elon University’s mascot is now the Phoenix, before 2000 they were the Fighting Christians:

The Elon Fighting Christian mascot with cheerleaders. From the 1986 Phi Psi Cli yearbook.

Two schools break with the animal/human tradition in North Carolina. The Brevard College Tornadoes and the Louisburg College Hurricanes. Weather phenomena mascots are always difficult to pull off. I couldn’t find one for Brevard, but Louisburg, which currently has a bird mascot, had “Louie” up until 2006:

Louie, the former Louisburg College Hurricanes mascot. From the 1996 The Oak yearbook.

Who knows when the next mascot sea change will happen. Below is a list of mascots in North Carolina; let us know if we got anything wrong. Which one is your favorite?

School Mascot Notes
Appalachian State University Yosef the Mountaineer First appeared in the yearbook in 1942
Barton College Bulldog  
Belmont Abbey College Crusader  
Bennett College   Known as the Bennett Belles
Brevard College Tornado  
Campbell University Fighting Camels The Hornets in the 1920s-1930s
Catawba College Catawba Indian  
Chowan University Hawks The Braves until 2006
Davidson College Wildcats Also a bulldog (1929) and a bobcat (1939)
Duke University Blue Devil  
East Carolina University Pirates Formerly Pee Dee the Pirate
Elizabeth City State University Vikings  
Elon University Phoenix The Fightin’ Christians until 2000
Fayetteville State University Broncos  
Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs  
Greensboro College The Pride Formerly the Hornets
Guilford College Quakers  
High Point University Panthers  
Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls  
Lees-McRae College Wily the Bobcat  
Lenoir-Rhyne University Joe and Josie Bear  
Louisburg College Hurricanes  
Mars Hill College Mountain Lion  
Meredith College Avenging Angels Formerly the Angels
Methodist University Eagles  
Montreat College Cavaliers  
Mount Olive College Trojans  
North Carolina A&T Aggie Dog (Bulldog)  
North Carolina Central University Eagles  
North Carolina State University Wolfpack  
North Carolina Wesleyan College Battling Bishops Formerly the Circuit Riders
Peace College Pacer  
Pfeiffer University Falcons  
Queens University of Charlotte Rex the Royal  
Saint Augustine’s University Mighty Falcons  
Salem College Spirits  
Shaw University Bears  
St. Andrews University Knights  
UNC Asheville Bulldog  
UNC Chapel Hill Rameses the Ram Also known as the Tar Heels
UNC Charlotte Norm the Niner  
UNC Greensboro Spartans  
UNC Pembroke Braves  
UNC Wilmington Seahawk  
UNC School of the Arts Fighting Pickle  
UNC School of Science and Math Unicorn  
Wake Forest University Demon Deacons  
Warren Wilson College Owls  
Western Carolina University Catamount “Paws”
Wingate University Bulldog  
Winston-Salem State University Ram  

Yearbooks, Campus Publications from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Offer a Window into a Segregated North Carolina

De Hi Sco [1947], page 74

De Hi Sco [1947], page 74

A new batch of yearbooks and campus publications from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library adds more primary sources to help tell the story of segregation in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System during the mid-twentieth century. The yearbooks tell the stories of the predominantly white community, while the catalogs document education in the segregated Black community in the Charlotte area.

The yearbooks are like many hosted on DigitalNC, documenting the lives and activities of students during the early 1950’s. They reflect many of the fashion and cultural patterns of the period for students in the white community.

The Viking [1952], page 44

The Viking [1952], page 44

Newly Digitized Yearbooks:

In addition, this batch also contains several campus publications from Carver College (later Mecklenburg College), the predominantly Black community college in the area. The catalogues detail the many program offerings and degree types that were available for students.

Carver College has a unique story. This community college and its white counterpart, Charlotte College, were the center pivot of the segregation debate for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System during the early 1960’s. The debate centered on whether Charlotte needed both community colleges or if the city could be served by just one, integrated community college. These catalogs demonstrate the level of education at stake for those in the Black community in Charlotte, prior to the community college debate. You can see more primary sources about the community college debate in Charlotte by following this link to another post on the DigitalNC Blog.

Newly Digitized Campus Publications:

Carver College Annual Catalogue [1959-1960], page 2

Carver College Annual Catalogue [1959-1960], page 2

Mecklenburg College Annual Catalogue [1962-1963], page 2

Mecklenburg College Annual Catalogue [1962-1963], page 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these documents help to paint a picture of segregation, desegregation, and the complexities involved with each for a complicated debate in mid-century North Carolina. These primary sources could be excellent resources for teachers creating lesson plans about this period, seeking tangible documents from local communities.

To learn more about Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, please visit their contributor page or their homepage. To see more yearbooks and campus publications that tell the stories of communities in times of transition, check out the North Carolina Yearbooks Collection and limit your search by year.


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