University Archives News

Object Lesson: Whatsoever Things Are Furry

A monthly feature highlighting the artifact collection of the University Archives.

Opening a large archival box in artifact storage we are met with a set of dagger-like teeth filling lips curled back in a snarl and yellow eyes that shine with anger. Thankfully, this ferocious beast was killed and stuffed sometime in the 1920s, so the danger is long past. You are looking at a taxidermy wildcat that has a long Northwestern history.

It was originally purchased at a taxidermist in Lena, IL by Jesse N. Gates, WCAS 1907, so that his two daughters could display the school mascot in the dorm room they shared in Pearson Hall (located where Rebecca Crown now stands). The daughters, Genevieve Gates Porter, WCAS 1930 and Evelyn Gates Berry, Speech 1932, named the cat "Quaecy" (pronounced "Quacky") after the school motto and hymn: "Quaecumque sunt vera." The two alumnae, along with several other dorm mates, came to visit the John Evans Alumni Center in 1966 and donated the item to Northwestern. In 1990 the wildcat was transferred to the University Archives where it continues to reside. About once a year a nutritionally rich taxidermy rabbit is placed in the box and left there so the feline's coat can retail its vital sheen.

The Archives holds many photographs of the Northwestern Wildcat in its various iterations through the mascot's history, as well as newspaper clippings and subject files. Watch a video entitled "The History of the Wildcats" to learn more about this proud feline.

Clash of the Wildcats

Already boasting of Kenesaw Mountain Landis as an alumnus (Law 1891), it is, of course, no surprise that Northwestern is keenly interested in the upcoming Fall Classic. As we all know, the Yankees will be playing the Phillies in the World Series to decide who has best mastered America's national pastime, and, believe it or not, Northwestern actually has alumni on both sides of the match.

JA Happ recently became big news to most Americans for pitching two complete game shutouts and being named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. But to us Wildcats, this should have come as no surprise. The secret to Mr. Happ's accomplishments is that he is himself a former Wildcat. He arrived in 2002 and quickly made a name for himself, joining the First Team All-Big Ten, achieving the ninth-best single-season ERA in Northwestern's history, and being voted the Co-Freshman of the Year. In his sophomore year, he again made the First Team All-Big Ten, his ERA climbed to the 7th best in Northwestern's history, and he was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for striking out 16 players in a single game against Iowa. In his junior year, he became the first Wildcat to make the First Team All-Big Ten for three straight seasons, and his ERA was the fifth best single season innings pitched total in NU history. He left Northwestern before his senior year to pursue a career in the major leagues.

So anyway, his recent victories with the Phillies really are nothing surprising. You can check out Happ's NU Sports profile here, for more information.

On the opposing side, we've all heard about Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees, leading his team to with their 60th National League pennant. He's had a very successful career, having played on five major-league teams for a total of 14 years, and having managed the Florida Marlins before moving on to the Yankees. What's also interesting is that Girardi was himself a Wildcat and a star of the team. He finished his studies here and was the proud recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern.

The stage is set, and only one thing about this game is certain: regardless of who wins, Northwestern is and always will be darn proud of its alumni.

For fans of NU Baseball, please note that the University Archives holds a collection of scorebooks, game programs media guides, newspaper clippings, and other materials that date back from the 19th Century to the present.

In Perpetual Care

Halloween is almost here…have you visited a graveyard lately? If not, why not try Rosehill Cemetery? It's just a few miles away, contains features such as abandoned staircases, and many notable characters in Chicago history are buried there--including Oscar Mayer, John G. Shedd, A. Montgomery Ward, and Richard Warren Sears. There are also a number of NU and Evanston founders and their affiliates buried at Rosehill—Frances Willard (social reformer and Dean of Women), Henry Noyes (former NU interim president), Henry Bannister, and Philo Judson, just to name a few (click on the names to see their monuments).

Also present here are Grant Goodrich and Orrington Lunt (two NU founders), as well as Nathan Davis, who together (among their various accomplishments) just happened to convene as the Board of Trustees' first Library Committee in 1856.

Charles Gates Dawes, Vice President of the U.S. under Calvin Coolidge, may not have been a founder of Evanston or NU, but he has contributed much to both, including his house. He also contributed his papers to the NU Library—they're in Special Collections.

And if you're interested in the Leopold and Loeb case, you might be surprised to know where Bobby Franks is buried. He's here, in his father's mausoleum.

Stop by the Archives on the first floor of Deering for a lesson on any of NU's founders and a map to find the location of their place of rest before heading out to meet them on your own. We hold and care for the papers of many of these local notables—in perpetuity.