Prince Orizu, 1942

Ohio State Royalty?

Prince Akweke Abysinnia Nwafor Orizu of Nigeria studied at Ohio State in the early 1940s. Prince Orizu, or “Chris” as hewas known on campus, came to OSU around 1940 to study political science; he had previously received his Junior Certificate from Cambridge University in England. The then-22-year-old prince was a member of the Nwei, a progressive monarchy in the then-British Protectorate of Nigeria. Why did he choose Ohio State? He told the alumni magazine it was because it was in the heart of America. Apparently, it was known on campus that he was part of the ruling family. After returning to Nigeria, Prince Orizu had a long political career, followed by service in education. He died in 1999.

Donkey at Univ. Hall, 1893

 

Roaming Livestock

How can Ohio State forget its roots when it has—and seems always will have—livestock running amok, with or without the aid of students? In the early years of the University (prior to the turn of the century) a group of students carried a (very quiet and cooperative) donkey up to the third floor of the old University Hall. They put the donkey in a professor’s office and waited until morning. Students who arrived early for class that morning were rewarded with helping to carry the donkey back down the stairs. Sounds like fun, huh? Once again it is clear that the Internet had not been invented yet.

 

Students with cannon, 1884

If You Give a College a Cannon…

You get chaos. For that, we can thank Luigi Lomia, OSU’s first U.S. Army drill instructor. He arranged for cannons to be brought to campus as part of the military training that was required for all male students at the time. He was, after all, an artillery man himself. However, it appears it soon became a common prank to drag a cannon off to the river, or to push one into Mirror Lake. The following morning, the students in drill would have to lug it back into place. There is also an account of someone attempting to fire a tree trunk from the cannon. Amazingly, there were no casualties among students, faculty or livestock reported after any of the stunts.