University of Houston - Houstonian Yearbook (Houston, TX)

Page 3 text:

We, the 1958 Houstonian Staff, salute Shasta on her 10th year at the U. of H. Shasta, official mascot of the University of Houston Cougars, donned her freshman beanie in 1947. Since that time she has been the ever-loyal supporter of the Cougar football team. She never misses a home game and many times has traveled along with the team to urge them on to victory. She has seen them lose and she has seen them win; she has seen them discouraged and she has seen them buoyant; and she has seen them at the top as Champions of the Missouri Valley Conference. One of the first projects sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity was a fund-raising drive to purchase a mascot for the newly organized football team. The mascot was purchased 10 years ago with money contributed by University students. After her acquisition, the Cougar conducted a contest to name the year-old cub. James T. Randall, winner of the contest, made this observation: She has to be fed She has to be watered Shihasta be cared for Shasta is her name. An official Cougar Guard, volunteer members of Alpha Phi Omega, see to Shastzfs every need. When she isn,t busy attending to her duties as iiofficial overseef, of U. of H. football games and pep rallies, Shasta is at home, displaying her supple 142-pound body to visitors of the Hermann Park Zoo. . Now the mother of three-Shorty, Tom, Jr., and Hasta-Shasta is probably the most widely traveled mascot in America, having traversed over 40,000 miles to out-of-town games.