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The Civil War is upon us. No, the United States isn't about to repeat the terrible carnage of 1861-1865. This is the University of Oregon-Oregon State University Civil War that separates Ducks ...

2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part I: Culture & Heritage

by Larry Sigurdson (Scribe)

47

3,285 reads

History

November 17, 2008


The Civil War is upon us.

No, the United States isn't about to repeat the terrible carnage of 1861-1865. This is the University of Oregon-Oregon State University Civil War that separates Ducks from Beavers, Journalists from engineers, chemists from oceanographers, attorneys from accountants, and geologists from foresters. Thanksgiving is the great prelude to this annual ritual where green & yellow meets black & orange.

On Thursday, Nov. 27th, extended families from across Oregon will sit down to a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner and discuss the prospects of which Oregon team is the better.

Will it be Ducks or Beavers in the Rose Bowl? The typical Oregon family is comprised of one-half Oregon alums and the other half Oregon State grads. It is a fierce loyalty that only siblings can fully appreciate.

A few Oregon families have sons and daughters that claim those other universities: Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon, Southern Oregon and Portland State, but to participate in the intellectually challenging finer details of the Civil War, they must adopt Oregon or Oregon State as their honorary football Alma Mater. There is no such thing as neutral ground in the Civil War. 

(My older brother is an Oregon State graduate and a CPA. It only took me two years to forgive him for the error of his ways in choosing the black and orange over the green and yellow. Unfortunately, we're still waiting for him to recognize that he made a foolish choice).

Saturday, November 29th will mark the 112th meeting of the Ducks and Beavers. This makes the Oregon-Oregon State annual battle the seventh longest running continuous football rivalry in the nation. Oregon leads the series, 55-46-10. It is the 112th meeting, but then, like almost everything in sports history, it isn't as simple as it would first appear. 

In the beginning, Oregon State University was a private college run by a Corvallis and taken over by the State of Oregon in 1868. Four years later the University of Oregon was authorized by the legislature, but without funding. The people of Eugene and Lane County held many fundraisers to build the initial UO campus and it opened in October 1876.

By 1893, Oregon State was known as the State Agriculture College, and that year William H. Bloss, the son of SAC's school president put together the first team. Bloss was both quarterback and coach.

The first team took shape in October and numbered 17 young men from around Corvallis. Four weren't even SAC students, while one was a high school junior and another was a faculty member.

The following year, just 45 miles to the south, Cal Young and J.A. Church shared head coaching duties as Oregon played it's first season of football. The schedule had four opponents, Albany College, State Agriculture College, Portland and Pacific. Oregon defeated Albany 44-2, lost to SAC 0-16, Portland 0-12, and tied with Pacific 0-0.

In the early days, neither the University of Oregon nor State Agriculture College had the familiar nicknames or mascots that are recognized around the world today as Pacific Northwest icons. Oregon was originally known as the webfoots, a name that originated among Massachusetts coastal fisherman, whose descendants settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The first documented use of a Beaver as an Oregon State mascot is found in a 1942 yearbook photo. While the photo of the students posing next to the statue is the first recorded example of Benny the Beaver, early alumni dating from 1900 claim the school used the Beaver as early as 1910. Because of the lack of documents, we may never know for sure.

Early Oregon State records show that from 1892-1893 the first mascot was "Jimmie" the Coyote, followed by the "Bulldog" from 1906 to 1910. 

Author Poll

In 1983, Oregon and Oregon State played to a scoreless tie. No NCAA Div. 1 football game has ended in a scoreless tie since. What name have Oregonians given to this peculiar game?

  • The double zero.
  • The dismal nothing '83 fiasco
  • The Toilet Bowl
  • The game from hell
vote to see results
Author Poll Results

In 1983, Oregon and Oregon State played to a scoreless tie. No NCAA Div. 1 football game has ended in a scoreless tie since. What name have Oregonians given to this peculiar game?

  • The double zero.

    9.5%

  • The dismal nothing '83 fiasco

    1.5%

  • The Toilet Bowl

    85.7%

  • The game from hell

    3.3%
  • Total votes: 273
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47 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. BabyTate 7 months ago

    Glad to hear from you. Thanks for the heads-up.

    This is the best article I've read in some time. Further, this is a subject I have always been interested in reading about and always make sure i have a seat to watch the Civil War.

    My pick of the day. Great work, outstanding. I recommend as a must-read for all B/R members.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi B.T.,

      Good to be back. Won't bore you with why I was away.

      Thank you for your comments and the POTD.

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    • Justin Lawson 7 months ago

      Hey Baby Tate,
      Before claiming this is the "best" article you have read in a long time, do some fact chekcing on Larry's "journalism". As in OSU is in no way an offshoot of U of O. OSU was established 8 years before U of O was a thought in the State of Oregon's mind.

      OSU started in 1868. It was formerly the Corvallis Acadamy which started in 1855.

      http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/chronology/chron_1860.html

      The only school in the Pac-10 that has been around longer than OSU is the University of Washington.

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  2. Pac10Rivalry.com 7 months ago

    Larry,

    I love the article.

    "On Thursday, Nov. 26th, extended families from across Oregon will sit down to a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner and discuss the prospects of which Oregon team is the better."

    This was great! Traditional Oregon Thanksgiving. lol

    By the way, somewhere in the article (perhaps the very end) you should give the answer to your poll. While most true Oregonians will already know the answer, there are others who may not.

    Dennis
    www.Pac10Rivalry.com

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Pac10Rivalry.com

      Thank you for the read. Glad you liked it. Part II-Oregon, will be out later today. In the next few days I'll have Part III-Oregon State, and Part IV-2008 Civil War Prediction.

      Please note I corrected Thanksgiving date to the 27th and followed your suggestion about adding a 1983 graph.

      Go Ducks!

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  3. Pac10Rivalry.com 7 months ago

    Larry,

    I linked to your article from my Pac-10 Rivalry site. I thought this was an article that needed to be read.

    http://www.pac10rivalry.com/2008-civil-war-oregon-at-oregon-state-part-i-culture-heritage/211

    Your article title leads me to believe there will be a part II? If so, cannot wait.

    Dennis
    www.Pac10Rivalry.com

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  4. Iceman 7 months ago

    Nice write up larry. i knew about the toilet bowl from my grandpa, who is a Oregon grad. My grandma is a Oregon state grand, so its nice to visit them around this time of year and listen to them bicker about which school will win. I am hoping that usc loses and oregon state loses to Arizona, then the civil war will decide the Rose bowl. Go ducks

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Iceman,

      So you too come from a typical Oregon family.

      Yes, Oregon needs UCLA to beat USC and stranger things have happened. But, I believe OSU can beat Arizona, and as long as the Ducks win the Civil War they then go to the Rose Bowl.

      So many questions. So many possibilities. Love this time of year.

      Go Ducks!

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  5. Travis Rice 7 months ago

    Well written, this is a rivalry that people know about...but don't KNOW about. If that makes any sense.

    Here's an article I wrote a long time ago...one of my first...

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/47166-why-oregon-oregon-state-is-a-state-of-war-worth-watching

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Travis,

      Thanks for the read and your comments. And yes, it makes a great deal of sense. That's part of what motivated me to write the article.

      I'll be reading your article shortly.

      Thank you.

      Go Ducks!

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  6. Kurt Liedtke 7 months ago

    The Civil War ended in 1864? Or just the bad part of it?

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Kurt,

      There you go again. Research, research, research. You're just never satisfied. That's what I get for rushing to write. You want me to be bothered by facts and accuracy? Why you'd think I'm a Journalist.

      The fact is that the American Civil War officially ended when Confederate resistance collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

      Thank you for the correction. I'm doing an edit to fix it.

      Go Ducks!

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  7. Brian Scott 7 months ago

    Great job Larry! Love those college rivalries!

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  8. Colin Clark 7 months ago

    Larry -

    Having never been to a PAC 10 game, I appreciate the history lesson. I love the handshake agreement with Walt Disney, I had no idea that was what happened.

    While we are on the grammar issue, I'm sure you meant 4-6-1 in the second to last sentence. Anyway, I thought it was a great article.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Colin,

      Thank you for catching the missing hyphen. Have since done an edit and added it.

      Appreciate the read and comment.

      When you attend a PAC-10 game, you'll be in for a special treat. While the mid-West can rightfully lay claim to inventing tailgating, the PAC-10 has taken it to another level. Be sure and allow pleanty of time to sample the Parking Lot delicacies and adult beverages before seeing what is always a great football game.

      Go Ducks!

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  9. Nate Dunn 7 months ago

    Great article! Thanks for the history lesson. I've read a bit on wikipedia, etc. but I like this one better. I didn't realize that OSU was part of UO back in the day. Learn something new every day. :-)
    GO DUCKS!!

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Nate,

      Thanks for the read and comments.

      Yes, one of the University of Oregon's early Presidents (don't recall which one without looking it up) recognized that farming and agriculture was vital to the Oregon economy. He realized that a facility separate from the Eugene campus was needed to offer an agriculture based curriculum. Eventually, Corvallis was selected and it was initially known at Oregon as, "The Farm." This designation had no connection whatsoever to "Stanford," even though it too was known as, "The Farm."

      By the time college football arrived on the scene in 1894-1895, as suggested by the article, the University of Oregon and "State Agriculture College" were already moving in separate directions.

      There's lots of great stuff from the early days.

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  10. Cameron Jerde 7 months ago

    Hello Larry,
    Let me say first off that it is wonderful having you back on the site again. Your articles are always very good, no matter what the topic is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. It really helped me wind down after a long day studying.
    My family is very much like the typical Oregon family. Although I am really the only "Duck". My father was recruited by Dee Andros to play center on the football team at OSU before he tore his MCL and Meniscus in his right knee. He ended up playing football at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA.
    My whole extended family on my mother's side are Beaver fans. It's really a fun rivalry.
    Keep up the great work Larry!
    ***** and POTD
    ~Cameron

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Cameron,
      It's good to be back.
      Glad you enjoyed the article.
      Wow! Your father was recruited by the "Great Pumpkin!" He must have some wonderful stories to tell.
      Of course we Ducks prefer stories about Len Casanova, Rich Brooks and Mike Bellotti.
      Thank you for the read, comments and POTD.
      --Larry

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  11. Sam Edwards 7 months ago

    Larry I don't understand how OSU can be an offshoot of U of O when Oregon State was founded in 1868 and U of O was founded 8 years later in 1876. The Oregon State history website confirms this http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/chronology/chron_1860.html.

    Note that it was the first state funded higher education.

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    • Sam Edwards 7 months ago

      And U of O agrees: http://www.uoregon.edu/~uocomm/newsreleases/facts/history.html

      Note that both OSU and U of O show that OSU was the first college in Oregon.

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    • Steve Mc 7 months ago

      My understanding was that the founder of the private school that eventually became the U of O was in the first graduating class from what would become OSU. I can't remember his name but he was from Cottage Grove.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Sam,

      Well, this sent me digging through the dusty archives and the results came as a total surprise. Thought I knew my Oregon history.

      Turns out the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was appointed the first president of Corvallis College in 1865. The church apparently ran the college for three years until it was incorporated on October 27, 1868 by the Oregon Legislature and authorized to grant three degrees, B.A., B.S., and M.S. The name of the institution at that point was: Corvallis College and Agricultural College of Oregon.

      The Oregon Legislature established the University of Oregon four years later in 1872, but without adequate funding. Monies for the initial construction and operation came from the people of Lane County, including school children selling strawberries. The frequently cited 1876 date, refers to the doors of Deady Hall's opening on October 16.

      As a loyal and faithful Duck, it never occurred to me that Oregon State could be the first public university in the State of Oregon. Just inconceivable.

      My humble apologies. I stand corrected.

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    • Sam Edwards 7 months ago

      It's all good Larry. Awesome article. Everyone makes mistakes, and as a current history major at OSU I know how mixed up some history can get when you go through several sources. Keep it up man, more people need to know about this awesome rivalry.

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  12. Tristan Holmes 7 months ago

    Love the article Larry, great history lesson!

    Interestingly, last year saw the reappearance of a trophy for the game. A wooden platypus had been used as a trophy some years ago but "disappeared" from the OSU trophy case after they won it a long time ago. It was next officially spotted at the University of Oregon where it had been used for years to record wins for the men's water polo team. How it got from Corvallis to Eugene is something history fails to remark upon... The trophy was misplaced shortly afterward before being "discovered" in storage at UO last year. It was supposed to have been presented to the Beavers after their (heartbreaking) double overtime win at Autzen.

    Please note the above information is sketchy at best. I am trying to remember the details of an Oregon Daily Emerald article I read over a year ago. If anyone can confirm or correct this information it would be greatly appreciated!

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Tristan,

      While researching for this series of articles, I ran across the interesting tidbit about the platypus plaque. What I read was pretty much what you related above. Haven't seen any other references, but like you, I will be interested to see if anything more is written about it.

      Thank you for the read and your comments.

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  13. Justin Lawson 7 months ago

    Hey Larry. Don't quit your day job bud. And stop telling lies in your articles. Good thing you put that U of O degree to good use, methinks it was in journalism too.

    OSU started 8 years before U of O(wned) was even an afterbirth of a hippie LSD trip. Thats right, OSU started in 1868. Now, go back to school and finish that journalism degree, also look into the "Ethics" and "Truth in Journalism" classes while your at it.

    OSU History Lesson

    http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/chronology/chron_1860.html

    U of O(wned) History Lesson

    http://www.uoregon.edu/~uocomm/newsreleases/facts/history.html

    You are our little sister... In sports and in education. Gee, wonder why it is that OSU generates more Research dollars than the rest of the Oregon University System combined? Because its a better school with real majors. Enjoy your music school twinkle toes, should go well with those fairy feathers you guys put on your jerseys.

    I can't wait for another beatdown, make it 3 in a row on the little sister school.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Justin,

      Thank you for the read.

      Go Ducks!

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    • Sam Edwards 7 months ago

      Justin you need to calm down. It was one fact that he already made amends for in my comment. Don't besmirch the Beaver fans' image with that kind of talk. Larry wrote a really good article about an underrated rivalry and all you can do is flame about how terrible the ducks are?

      Come on man, I get that its a rivalry but show some decency. And if you question that I am a duck you'll be happy to know I'm a current history student at OSU

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  14. Tom Latta 7 months ago

    Why let a few facts get in the way of a great story? Welcome to hole athletics!

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Tom,

      Thank you for the read and welcome to the Bleacher Report. Looking forward to reading your first article.

      Go Ducks!

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  15. Denny Thompson 7 months ago

    Larry,

    So when do you change the content of the article to recognize that Oregon State was founded eight years before the UO?

    Looks like this article is being re-published at many sites on the internet and there is the potential for a great deal of misinformation to circulate.

    As in print or broadcast journalism, when there is a significant factual error, the error needs to be retracted and corrected ASAP.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Denny,

      The correction is made. Please see the article above. As for links and republishing across the Internet, I have no control over that. Possible repitition of factual errors is the price we pay for having instantaneous, world wide communications. Today, like it or not we must all bear some responsibilty and be our own Journalist. in other words we cannot take anything at face value.

      Thank you for the read and comments.

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  1. George Edmonston 7 months ago

    With all due respect, this article has so many mistakes, many of which have not been covered by your readers (examples: OSU never had a dog as a school mascot; OSU was not officially OAC until 1908; OSU had a beaver as a school mascot in the early 1920s), it should be pulled and rewritten. As it stands, it does a disservice to both schools.

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi George,

      Thank you for the read and your comments.

      Actually George, my research on OSU shows that yes for short period of time it was the Bulldogs from 1906-1910, and that the Beavers came later. Please take a look at the History paragraph at:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Beaver

      As for the beaver as school mascot in the early 1930s, that maybe true, but there is no documentation showing it to be the case, as I stated in the article.

      As Solomon once asked: "Where is it written?"

      Thank you,

      LLS

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  2. Denny Thompson 7 months ago

    Larry,

    Thanks for making the correction regarding which institution was founded first.

    In a larger sense, is there some sort of "group think" that's inherent with people who attend UO? Is this where the "little sister" references we see so pervasively thrown around by Ducks gets its genesis?

    Is the Nike-fueled sense of entitlement so engrained that it leads Ducks to assume an air of superiority and then by extension claim to be the older, more venerated institution?

    Naw, can't be the NIke thing, because my Dad told me stories 40 years ago about how Ducks brag about all sorts of stuff, but can rarely back it up....

    But your larger goal is accomplished - hundreds of eyeballs saw "On the Internet" that OSU is a spin off from UO - gawd, where did you hear that one - UO History prof?

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi Denny,

      Thank you for the read and welcome to Bleacher Report.

      The mistake about which University came first was entirely mine and mine alone. I take full responsibility for failing to verify what I thought I knew. In no way is my mistake a reflection of the University of Oregon, or an instruction that is offered there past or present.

      Just to be clear, it was an honest mistake. No propaganda was intended and the error was corrected as soon as it was brought to my attention.

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  3. Denny Thompson 7 months ago

    P.S.

    Please tell Nate (half way up the comments section) that "no, UO wasn't founded before OSU, so don't go around telling all your friends") as he threatened to do....and the propaganda continues....

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  4. David Hedlind 7 months ago

    Well I have to be a little upset because I went to one of the other schools you didnt even bother to list. Oregon Institute of Technology.

    Second I read through for the most part the comments and it will take a lot more than just USC losing to UCLA and Oregon State losing 2 for Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl.

    For Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl all of this has to happen:
    Oregon needs to beat Oregon State.
    Oregon State needs to beat Arizona and lose to Oregon.
    Arizona to finish higher or tied with Cal.
    USC needs to lose to UCLA and Notre Dame(stay with me I will explain)

    Why all this? of course Oregon has to win in order to stay alive.
    If Oregon State loses both and has 3 conference losses USC goes to the Rose Bowl no matter what the outcome of the UCLA game by virtue of a tie with Oregon but the head to head win.
    So that means Oregon needs to end up in a 3 way tie with 2 conference losses by Oregon State, USC and Oregon.
    the next tie breaker is the next best team. so who ever is #4 would determine this. If it is Cal Oregon is out due to losing to Cal but having both USC and Oregon State beat them.
    If it is Arizona it keeps Oregon alive. I am not sure if it keeps going down the line or if it jumps to the BCS rankings. if it does having Notre Dame beat USC followed by USC losing to UCLA would need to drop USC behind Oregon in the standings for Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl.

    I may have something wrong here but I know it comes down to a lot more than just Oregon beating Oregon State and UCLA beating USC.

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  5. Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

    Hi David,

    Thank you for the read and comments.

    Please accept my apologies for failing to include O.I.T. in my list of the other Oregon Universities. Oregon Institute of Technology is one our nation's finest engineering schools and deserves more ink.

    As for the exact details of who wins and who loses to send Oregon to the Rose Bowl, you lost me. But, I do know that Oregon State needs to beat Arizona, UCLA needs to beat USC, and Oregon needs to beat OSU if the Ducks are to have any chance of going to the Rose Bowl.

    About Notre Dame beating USC, that sounds right. At the same time, the Rose Bowl is a BCS Bowl, so the BCS does factor into it.

    To tell you the truth it has gotten way to complicated. I believe a playoff system is what we need.

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  6. George Edmonston 7 months ago

    Mr. Larry:

    A nice rewrite but errors remain. Let me see if I can help out.

    (1) OSU has never had an official mascot that was a “bulldog.” Oregon State Athletic Director James Arbuthnot owned a bulldog in the early 1900s and the pet is sometimes seen pictured with some OAC athletic squads from the period in the school yearbook, the Orange. However, this dog was only an "unofficial" mascot of several of the teams, particularly wrestling (Arbuthnot was the coach) and football, and nothing more. To repeat, this bulldog was never the school's official mascot, in the same sense as a J.R.N. Bell (mascot from 1893-1928) or a Benny the Beaver.

    (2) The first documented use of a “beaver” as OSU’s official mascot was not in 1942. This happens much earlier. In 1920, the college makes an attempt at introducing a beaver named “Beavo” as its mascot. References to "Beavo" are thin, and there is some question as to how long or if Beavo was ever an official mascot of the school. It may have been an attempt to replace Bell as the mascot, and also to mark the practice (beginning in 1910) of referring to athletic teams from the school as "Beavers." In the fall of 1933, a cover of the Oregon State alumni magazine includes a full-blown photo of "Billy," a live beaver under the care of the school's Wildlife Club. The photo clearly identifies Billy as the school's new "beaver mascot." A cartoon likeness of Billy Beaver is developed and it appears in newspapers and other print publications throughout the 1930s and World War II, and was particularly popular with the editorial staffs of OSU’s student newspaper, the Barometer. Billy’s face has the slight appearance of the kinder, gentler "Benny" later replaced by the now-popular "angry" Benny.

    (3) OSU is not a few years older than the UO, as your reporting suggests, but 20 years older. The precursor institution to Oregon State was the Corvallis Academy, founded in 1856 as a community school. Three years later the name was changed to Corvallis College. The academy’s first teacher and principal was John Wesley Johnson, a Yale graduate, who would later become the first president of the University of Oregon. At least one of the early donors and organizers of the UO in Lane County was an Oregon State alumnus named Robert M. Veatch, Class of 1870.

    (4) In 1896 OSU’s official name was the Agricultural College of the State of Oregon. The name Oregon Agricultural College becomes official in 1908.

    "Where is it written?" you asked earlier. The OSU Alumni Association's web site offers a series of articles outlining in considerable detail many of the important traditions of the university, and the OSU Arhives features on its web site a truly outstanding chronological history of the university dating back to 1851.

    I do appreciate the spirit and passion for Civil War football reflected in your work.

    Go Beavs!

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi George,

      Thank you for taking the time to provide the additional information about Oregon State University. An excellent update on critical information on the early days.

      The Bleacher Report could use someone with your research talents and writing abilities to cover the Beaver Nation. I hope that you will consider tackling the desperate need to provide valuable, accurate coverage of Oregon's first public institution of higher education.

      Your research and comments will remain a part of the above article for as long as the article is active on the Bleacher Report servers, and that is almost forever.

      As for your suggestion for another rewrite, I noted in the prologue to Part II that my articles aren't intended to provide the detailed, definitive history of Higher Education in Oregon. As fascinating a subject as that is, and I sense one that you and share an interest; the purpose was to provide a broad over view of the Civil War with some historical context. I wanted to provide some of the historical "highlights" of the origins and the flavor of where we have come from. I believe the article as it stands does that well. Your comments correct my omissions.

      Thank you for your perserverance and please consider picking up the Beaver torch. We need good writers such as yourself.

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  7. George Edmonston 7 months ago

    Larry:

    Greatly appreciate the compliment.

    Let's talk more about your suggestion that I get involved at the BR, but off-line.

    When you have a chance, please e-mail me at edmonstg@comcast.net.

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  8. John Deskins 7 months ago

    Nice article Larry,

    I'm no expert on the history. But my great grandfathers yearbook from 1919 has the following:

    Heres to the men we know and love,
    Beavers tried and true:
    Heres to the men of the Orange line
    Wiping the ground with you:
    Up with glass and pledge them, lads,
    Flashing its amber gleam,---
    While deep in our hearts the toast shall be
    Here's t old O.A.C.

    The cover has the year, the seal, and the title "The Beaver"

    Go Beavs!

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    • Larry Sigurdson 7 months ago

      Hi John,

      Thank you for the read and the comments.

      You should guard that yearbook with your life. It is rear, not just because it is old, but for that year especially-that's the graduating class from World War I. There weren't many graduates, compared to just a few years later.

      Your great-grandfather's yearbook confirms the first hand verbal accounts of the turn-of-the-century alums reporting Benny being around from about 1910 forward. My research suggests it is difficult to find the early yearbooks such as your 1919 copy. You may want to consider lending it to the OSU Library.

      Just a thought.

      Thank you again.

      --LLS

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