From Woody's Couch

Page 68 of 105

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: Brutus has come a long way from papier-mâché

December 21, 2012 / haire.14@osu.edu / Comments Off

Brutus, 1965

For a beloved OSU icon, Brutus Buckeye has a bit of a rough life. As would anyone else who had been kidnapped no less than five times, thrown in a dumpster near 11^th Avenue, painted blue and gold by the enemy, abandoned at Port Columbus, and held hostage by Lantern reporters. Given his advanced age, we hope his future journey will be a little less rocky.

Brutus first appeared at Ohio State’s Homecoming Game against Minnesota on October 30, 1965. Four years later, in 1969 Brutus was abandoned at Port Columbus after leading his team to victory in the Rose Bowl. He hitched a ride back to campus. The 1970s were rough years for Brutus, too: In 1971, Brutus was taken from a van in Ann Arbor the night before the Michigan game by members of the Michigan chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity. They carried him into the stadium the next morning—after painting maize and blue stripes all over his head. He was rescued by friends before being taken onto the field.

1977

In 1972 Brutus was kidnapped again, this time from his home in St. John Arena; someone cut the lock from his door and held him for several days before leaving him, greatly damaged, outside of Bricker Hall. Another time, reporters from The Lantern held him until 1,000 students signed a petition saying they wanted to keep Brutus. In more recent history, Brutus was taken from a car near 11^th Avenue in the early hours of the morning. After witnesses made calls to radio stations to alert the police of his whereabouts, Brutus was found in a dumpster a few blocks north of his last known location.

Brutus has also undergone several makeovers. Brutus’ original look was papier-mâché; a few years later he was updated to fiberglass. That change added a few (as in 80) pounds to his figure. Meanwhile, the Department of Athletics began receiving complaints because Brutus began tripping over bystanders on the sidelines. In 1975, the athletic department tried to replace Brutus when it took over his contract from the Ohio Staters, Inc. The fans booed the interloper—who looked nothing at all like our beloved mascot—off the field at his first game. In 1976 Brutus was back on the sidelines. He underwent subsequent makeovers in 1977, 1981 and 1982, at which point he decided to just change up his wardrobe every few years. As to retirement? There is only one mascot, and Brutus is here to stay.

Filed by C.N.

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: In 2nd term, Gee strives for “One University”

December 20, 2012 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Gee, 1990

When E. Gordon Gee returned to OSU for his second term, he said it felt like he was coming home. Indeed, the largest chunk of Gee’s career at the highest echelon of academia has been spent as a Buckeye. He has a combined 15 years so far under his belt in two terms in OSU’s highest office. He’s not our longest-serving president – that record is held by William Oxley Thompson, at 26 years – but like Thompson, he is a beloved figure to many in the OSU community, who would likely want him to stay another century, if possible.

Gee’s first home was actually far from his current one: Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee enrolled at the University of Utah and attended graduate school at Columbia University, where he received a degree in law and a Ph.D. in education. A variety of positions in academia and law followed. He became assistant dean for administration at the University of Utah College of Law in 1973, a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974, and associate professor and assistant dean of law at Brigham Young University, later becoming a full professor and associate dean. He later accepted a position as dean of law at West Virginia University, and in 1981, became its president, one of the youngest in the nation. In 1985, he became president of the University of Colorado, before accepting the presidency of Ohio State in 1990.

Gee’s welcome party at Bricker Hall, 1990

From 1998 to 2000, Gee served as president of Brown University, and in 2000, he became president of Vanderbilt University, which he served until accepting an offer in 2007 from the OSU Board of Trustees to return to Ohio State.

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: “3” apparently is a charm for the chemistry department

December 19, 2012 / haire.14@osu.edu / Comments Off

Chemistry Building #1 after fire, 1887

OSU’s chemistry department got off to a rocky start: Originally housed on the third floor of University Hall, it was soon moved to a newly constructed building on the site of, most recently, Brown Hall. When a fire started in the department’s new building in 1887, the whole structure burned down because of a lack of water to extinguish the flames.

The next chemistry building was built two years later on the site of the present Derby Hall. It burned down in 1904. A recounting of the incident said there were “ludicrous happenings due to excitement” that occurred that night.

Chemistry Building #2, 1904

Apparently, the firefighters were afraid of the chemicals housed in the building, so they did not try to put out the flames (whether or not the chemicals were a threat is not known). However, that did not stop students from entering the burning building and attempting to save the contents, including bottles of distilled water.

The third chemistry building, now known as Derby Hall, was rebuilt in 1906 on the site of its predecessor. It, too, caught fire soon after it was completed; however, the building was saved. Its first addition was, of course, a fire-proof storage shed for the chemicals. No doubt this helped to break the curse.

Filed by C.N.

Ohio State nav bar

Our Playbook on OSU History

Page 68 of 105

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: Brutus has come a long way from papier-mâché

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: In 2nd term, Gee strives for “One University”

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: “3” apparently is a charm for the chemistry department

From Woody’s Couch

Search This Site

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Social Media & RSS