[Nan3cy]

There was definitely a vote on the nickname between '74 and '76, because I know I voted on it when I was at the GSB. I voted for Robber Barons and was seriously annoyed when the vote was, as has been noted, ignored. Not the first or last time that happened on various subjects, but I always wondered why the heck our opinion was asked for if it wasn't going to be listened to.

I thought about the irony of all that from 1990-1994 as I dealt with government auditors during the indirect cost controversy. Heaven only knows how snide the Merc News would have been about Stanford's alleged transgressions if we'd been "the Robber Barons" at that time -- they were awfully good at being snide as it was. I was very grateful that the administration hadn't gone along with the vote.

[Nan3cy]

There was definitely a vote on the nickname between '74 and '76, because I know I voted on it when I was at the GSB. I voted for Robber Barons and was seriously annoyed when the vote was, as has been noted, ignored. Not the first or last time that happened on various subjects, but I always wondered why the heck our opinion was asked for if it wasn't going to be listened to.

I thought about the irony of all that from 1990-1994 as I dealt with government auditors during the indirect cost controversy. Heaven only knows how snide the Merc News would have been about Stanford's alleged transgressions if we'd been "the Robber Barons" at that time -- they were awfully good at being snide as it was. I was very grateful that the administration hadn't gone along with the vote.

[yvonne]

Too bad. My high school mascot was the Grypon. The local junior high schools were the lions and the eagles.

[yvonne]

Too bad. My high school mascot was the Grypon. The local junior high schools were the lions and the eagles.

[Robbie]

The Indians was the mascot from 1930-1971. Forty-one years. It has now been forty-one years since Indians was removed as a mascot. For better or worse, the university has no particular historical or cultural ties to native americans.

Of course, we can similarly still verbally refight the Civil War, and discuss tactical and strategic decisions and outcomes. But the end result of that conflict is also not going to change.

[Robbie]

The Indians was the mascot from 1930-1971. Forty-one years. It has now been forty-one years since Indians was removed as a mascot. For better or worse, the university has no particular historical or cultural ties to native americans.

Of course, we can similarly still verbally refight the Civil War, and discuss tactical and strategic decisions and outcomes. But the end result of that conflict is also not going to change.

[Griffins78]

The Griffin as a potential mascot first surfaced, I believe, in the spring of 1972. (It's possible I'm off by a year and it was 1973.) A University committee charged with coming up with some ideas on the mascot (it was heavily weighted toward athletes and other AD-associated people) had come up with the idea.

But before the committee could formally vote, the story leaked out to Don Tollefson, a Daily guy who also worked as a stringer for the Chronicle. The Chron ran a banner headline on its sports section: THE STANFORD GRIFFINS?. Campus reaction ranged from unenthusiastic to hostile, and the proposal went nowhere, though I guess the Griffin continued to hang around as a possibility for years to come.

Garvin - thanks for providing some more detail around the Griffin mascot idea. I don't recall that it was based just on the statues (don't really know where the idea originated) but I always kind of like it, as my username reflects.

[Griffins78]

The Griffin as a potential mascot first surfaced, I believe, in the spring of 1972. (It's possible I'm off by a year and it was 1973.) A University committee charged with coming up with some ideas on the mascot (it was heavily weighted toward athletes and other AD-associated people) had come up with the idea.

But before the committee could formally vote, the story leaked out to Don Tollefson, a Daily guy who also worked as a stringer for the Chronicle. The Chron ran a banner headline on its sports section: THE STANFORD GRIFFINS?. Campus reaction ranged from unenthusiastic to hostile, and the proposal went nowhere, though I guess the Griffin continued to hang around as a possibility for years to come.

Garvin - thanks for providing some more detail around the Griffin mascot idea. I don't recall that it was based just on the statues (don't really know where the idea originated) but I always kind of like it, as my username reflects.

[oman]

Of course, we can similarly still verbally refight the Civil War, and discuss tactical and strategic decisions and outcomes. But the end result of that conflict is also not going to change.

We really should move that to another thread.

[oman]

Of course, we can similarly still verbally refight the Civil War, and discuss tactical and strategic decisions and outcomes. But the end result of that conflict is also not going to change.

We really should move that to another thread.

[oman]

Too bad. My high school mascot was the Grypon. The local junior high schools were the lions and the eagles.

Did any product placement/royalties help pay for the Homecoming DJ?

[oman]

Too bad. My high school mascot was the Grypon. The local junior high schools were the lions and the eagles.

Did any product placement/royalties help pay for the Homecoming DJ?

[yvonne]

Sorry, gryphon.

[yvonne]

Sorry, gryphon.

[vataha]

What? No mention of bollards or steaming manhole covers?

[vataha]

What? No mention of bollards or steaming manhole covers?

[oman]

What? No mention of bollards or steaming manhole covers?

These were the hot items when I arrived in 1980.

[oman]

What? No mention of bollards or steaming manhole covers?

These were the hot items when I arrived in 1980.

[teejers1]

1.  Was there for 1981 advisory student vote.  I voted for Gryphons (thought a unique mascot would have been appropriate for Stanford . . . plus, those bad boys are pretty cool looking).

2.  Remember the Robber Barons victory - that occurred when my older siblings were at Stanford.  Always thought the administration could have gone along with the vote and simply referred to Stanford as the Barons (and let the kids have their fun).

3.  There was some discontent on the Indians mascot before it was unilaterally discarded by President Lyman.  The first effort to mollify the Native American groups opposed to the name was to change the look of the formal Stanford mascot.  The 1970 Indian (that had been around a long time) was a cartoon-ish character with a drooping nose and a single feather.  In 1971, the mascot changed to a more dignified profile of a Native American in full head dress.  That was my recollection anyway, and is buttressed by the two Rose Bowl pennants we had in our house for years.  The first (1970) has the cartoon-like character; the second (1971) had the more dignified Indian.  But that more dignified mascot lasted less than one year, as I recall. 

[teejers1]

1.  Was there for 1981 advisory student vote.  I voted for Gryphons (thought a unique mascot would have been appropriate for Stanford . . . plus, those bad boys are pretty cool looking).

2.  Remember the Robber Barons victory - that occurred when my older siblings were at Stanford.  Always thought the administration could have gone along with the vote and simply referred to Stanford as the Barons (and let the kids have their fun).

3.  There was some discontent on the Indians mascot before it was unilaterally discarded by President Lyman.  The first effort to mollify the Native American groups opposed to the name was to change the look of the formal Stanford mascot.  The 1970 Indian (that had been around a long time) was a cartoon-ish character with a drooping nose and a single feather.  In 1971, the mascot changed to a more dignified profile of a Native American in full head dress.  That was my recollection anyway, and is buttressed by the two Rose Bowl pennants we had in our house for years.  The first (1970) has the cartoon-like character; the second (1971) had the more dignified Indian.  But that more dignified mascot lasted less than one year, as I recall.