University of Maine - Prism Yearbook (Orono, ME)

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TRADITIONS Some things never change Every university has its own traditions, but some times students do not know- how traditions get started. We see the blue bear paws all over campus, but do we know- how they got there and why? And what about Bananas the bear? Why is his name Bananas? Many traditions are so old that noone can be exactly sure how they got star- ted. but most people are glad they did. Traditions give a campus a personality and adds a little bit of flair to an otherwise stressed-out way of life. The first mascot was an elephant Some students from the class of 1903 stole it from a Bangor clothing company that was using it for advertisement. One of the students was so exci- ted about pulling it off that he shouted. “Great Bolivar! and the elephant was called Bolivar ever since. Bolivar was hidden in an encasement under the football stadium until game time when his captors brought him out as a good luck charm. In 1914 the first black bear. Jeff, took Bolivar's place as mascot. Jeff was a real live black bear introduced at a football rally. Show- ing-off for the crowd. Jeff stood on his head, and the crowd went Bananas”. A new bear was presented the next year, and in honor of Jeffs success, it was named Bananas. About thirteen Bananas followed until the last live Bananas. “Cindy Bananas”, died the fall of 1966 of pneu- monia. In the spring of 1969. however. Robert Smullin of Alpha Phi Omega, proposed the use of a person dressed as a bear to serve as mascot. Bananas debuted the follow ing fall and has been cheering UMaine black bears on ever since. There is one black bear, so the story goes, that does not seem to know its place on campus. That is the black bear in front of Memorial Gym. It has been known to leave its podium and take nightly strolls around campus leaving huge blue bear paws all over the roads and sidewalks. Usually the Student Alumni Association hears about the bear’s adventure and goes out to chase the bear back to its podium. So, when you return to Orono some day with perhaps your own children, and they ask where those big feet came from and want to know if they can follow them as they try to leap from one to the next, mix a little fact with fiction and tell them the story of the Maine Black Bear . 8

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