George Fox University - L'Ami Yearbook (Newberg, OR)

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B.J. THE BEAR by Teresa Watt Have you had the privilege of meeting Bruin Junior? Maybe your first introduction was at the bottom of a pile of wrestling, grunting bodies, grabbing for what you held secure in your clutches, B.J. Let ' s go back into history and find out where our school mascot originated. One day a boy named Reuben Frank and his father were hunting in the coast range mountains west of Carlton when they encountered a large, black bear and her cub. Mr. Frank shot the adult bear, and Reuben captured the cub. They brought the baby bear back home and gave it to Reuben ' s sister, Lenora. The cub proved to be a wonder- ful pet for the girl. They shared many wrestling matches — until the bear grew big and strong. Lenora, then a student at Pacific Academy (now George Fox College), offered the bear to Professor George Hartley. He and his wife accepted the gift. A pit was dug for the bear near the pro- fessor ' s home in Hess Creek Ca- nyon. Bruin became fat in his new home, but he was restless. He escaped several times. Bruin ' s last escape proved disastrous. He got in- to a neighbor ' s chicken house and did considerable damage. Professor Hartley thought it wise to get rid of the bear. He considered donating Bruin to the Portland zoo, but the zoo had its quota of bears. Mr. Stanley, the local butcher, suggested a solution to Hartley ' s pro- blem. Stanley promised Bruin ' s death would be painless, and the meat market would take care of the edible portions. When the job was com- plete, the hide was given to the pro- fessor. He planned to have a rug made but instead had it mounted, stuffed and preserved. Bruin was placed in the Academy ' s small museum. At this time, the academy was making preparations to move to the present college campus so that Pacific College could open in the fall of 1891. During the summer, while moving Bruin to his new home, the chemicals preserving the hide evaporated. The skin became fragile. It was aged and moth eaten. Bruin was destined for the basement fur- — 10 —

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UP CLOSE WITH CHRIS COOKE by Colleen Howard Chris Cooke ' s voice is animated, but her words are thoughtful as she speaks about her life. She expresses herself with great clarity, perhaps because she is an old hand at giving interviews. Although a student ' s life is hardly unusual, most people think of Chris as being ex- traordinary; she has been blind from birth. Chris is at peace with her blind- ness, however; and because she has never known sight, it is an everyday fact of life for her. She is aware of the advantage she has had over the sighted person who later becomes blind. It ' s a lot easier when you ' ve been blind all your life, she says, because I haven ' t had to learn how to do anything twice. Chris has certainly learned to do things well enough to succeed in a sighted world. The eighteen-year-old freshman graduated from high school in White Salmon, Washington, where she has lived with her parents for the past five years. Her sister and two brothers are all much older than she - in or around their thirties. I was an after- thought, she laughs. When choosing a school to at- tend, Chris ' first requisite was that it be a Christian college. Though she was accepted at Central Washington University with its excellent special education program — she says she might like to teach special education — she chose George Fox instead. Since George Fox College has such an excellent music program and is such a neat Christian college, that made the decision for me, she ex- plains. Chris is a Music Education major. A few special preparations had to be made before she could begin classes at George Fox. Chris registered in May so she would know in advanced which textbooks she would need on tape. All her books are recorded. It is impractical to put them in Braille because of their bulkiness. One look at her shelves proves this point. Her Braille Bible alone is in twenty, thick volumes. Another major part of her prepara- tion involved arriving on campus a week early in order to learn her way around the grounds. Chris has a partner: a short, furry, two-year-old — her guide dog, Jolie. Chris and Jolie have been together for only a few months. We ' re still getting used to each other, Chris says. Their partnership began in San Raphael, California, at Guide Dogs for the Blind where Chris spent a month in training with Jolie before taking her home . Accor- ding to Chris, the chief advantages in having a guide dog are companion- ship and the ability to travel fast and safely. A lot of times, she remarks, people don ' t understand what Jolie does for me ... I think they ' d really appreciate her a lot more if they knew. Jolie is trained to stop at curbs, go around people, objects, and obstacles, cross the street safely when Chris gives her the go-ahead (she will not go if there is any possibility of being hit); she knows right and left, how to follow so- meone on command, and more. Jolie enables Chris to travel with greater confidence and therefore with greater speed. We can really truck, Chris grins. As to the disad- vantages of owning Jolie, Chris says, It ' s like taking care of a little child . I have to do everything for her. Another difficulty comes simply because the Labrador is such a people-lover. Even though she does have those sad eyes, please don ' t pet her because she gets too friendly. She comes to expect such treatment, Chris advises. All in all, however, Chris thinks Jolie ' s advan- tages far outweigh her disadvan- tages. Among Chris ' hobbies and in- terests are reading, listening to music, practicing the piano (which she has studied for six years), swim- ming, and sewing. I enjoy doing things that are a sighted person ' s hobby ... it makes me feel good that I can do it, she says. People are often awkward and shy around Chris, so she strives to make them feel at ease. She en- courages their questions to let them know that I like to do things everyone else likes to do. She says nothing about her blindness is per- sonal because I ' ve had to accept it, and it ' s nothing that bothers me. I don ' t think anyone could ask me a question about that that would be painful, or would hurt, or I wouldn ' t like. I haven ' t heard a new question in a long time. Chris enjoys little children and their questions best of all. They ' re so straightforward . . . they don ' t understand what it ' s like not to see, though. They think I see, just because they can ' t imagine what it ' s like not to see. It is difficult for many of us to im- agine. Chris understands our curiosi- ty and our hesitation, however; and so she says with a warm openness, If you have any questions . . . well, I ' ve heard them all! Colleen Howard — 9 —

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nace. But the iron frame mounting the hide proved too difficult to dismantle. Bruin was placed in the corner of the room and forgotten. Eventually Bruin was discovered by students and became the object of skirmishes and contests between the classes. Bruin became a tradition for George Fox College. The original Bruin has long since worn out and been replaced. A leather canvas replica disappeared in the mid 1970 ' s after a Bruin Brawl and was not seen again. The cute, cuddy bear now known as Bruin Junior or B.J. , made his appearance a few years later along with new Bruin Brawl rules. Tradition is here to stay, and Bruin spirit is boosted every year by the little mascot George Fox College has loved for more than 85 years. So when you are at the bottom of a pile of struggling bodies with B.J. in your hands, remember! Even though Bruin Junior has no teeth and no longer growls, a tradition is to be respected. Teresa Watt — II —