Towson University Tiger Statue
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The Towson University tiger statue, or "Doc" is a bronze tiger that sits that sits in front of Stephens Hall, the oldest academic building on campus. There has been another fiberglass tiger that was created in 1996, but was taken down in 2006 due to vandalism. There was also a gift of a stone tiger statue by the class of 1967, but was stolen from the campus a few years later. [1]
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[edit] History
[edit] The First Statue
According to Towerlight the school newspaper, when the Student Government Association first bought the tiger statue that sits outside Cook Library in 1996, the organization hoped to boost school spirit. Instead, it became subject to vandalism and disrepair.
The most recent incident occurred over spring break in 2006. On Sunday, March 19 2006, the Towson University Police Department received the first of two reports of destruction of the tiger statue. They had spray-painted profanities on the tiger between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. A few days later, the tiger's paw and teeth were removed.
The police reports said Aramark estimated the cost of repair at $1,500. Since then the statue has been removed. These incidents were not the only acts of vandalism on the tiger statue. Since it had found its home on "The Beach", the tiger has lost part of its tail, and a few teeth. There was even an attempted robbery.
The idea of bringing the tiger to Towson started with the introduction of a bill on February 28, 1995. The SGA allocated $3,000 though it was purchased for $2,500 for a fiberglass tiger to create a more positive campus atmosphere. Donna Garrison, an SGA senator at the time, had heard student complaints of Towson lacking school spirit.
The tiger was erected and placed on the campus at the end of the Spring 1996 semester.
The following September it lost its tail to vandals. The damage totaled $500. The tiger was repaired and was fine for six months until March 17, 1997. On that evening, police aide Ron Bond saw seven males pushing the tiger off its platform, but upon police arrival, the seven fled the scene. Three were apprehended, one of whom was not a TU student. The statue had been bolted to the platform by its three paws, and the paws were damaged in the attempt to move the tiger. One of the tiger's canine teeth was also broken off in the act.
In February, the university looked into repairing or replacing what the students called an eyesore. She asked Jeff Ellis of Scenic Artistry & Custom Finishes and Joseph Clarkson of Fiberglass Specialties to appraise the statue. "It looked pretty much beyond repair," Ellis said in an interview. "It's one of those things where you don't know where to start and where to finish." [2]
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[edit] The Bronze Statue
In September 2006, the Towerlight reported that a new bronze tiger statue had been unveiled as the centerpiece of the university's "Capital Campaign" to raise $50 million dollars. The primary difference between the new statue and previous one is that the new one is made of bronze and all of the legs are on the ground and the tail is wrapped around its legs rather than raised, so it won't get damaged by vandals. [3]
The new statue is outside Stephens Hall and was unveiled on February 8, 2007 where Caret said it would be "visible to passersby on York Road as well as students".[4] [5]
A lot of students, however, have expressed disapproval of putting the new statue outside of Stephens Hall. They say since most students don't have class in the building, most Towson students probably wouldn't see the new statue.[6]
There has also been talk of possibly moving the statue to the new entrance of the university which will open within the next few years.[7]
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[edit] References
- ^ History of the Tiger
- ^ Tiger Statue Takes a Beating
- ^ Tiger Statue Debuts
- ^ The Future of Towson University
- ^ Towson's new Tiger built to last
- ^ Way to hide the mascot
- ^ Stephens chosen as location for tiger statue
