Portrait of Reverend Joseph Elkanah Walker, Pacific University Class of 1867. He was responsible for bringing the original Boxer to Pacific University. J. E. Walker was a missionary in China for decades. This photograph was taken during one of his visits home to Oregon, possibly circa 1890-1900.
Five men and one woman, all appearing to around age 70, posing for a snapshot with Pacific University's original Boxer statue. The people, all of whom are wearing Boxer-themed name tags, are likely Pacific University alumni or trustees. The statue would later become the mascot of the university. This photograph, which appears to date from around 1950-1960, may have been taken at a 50th Reunion celebration.
A photograph of the symbolic burial of the old Pacific University "Badger" mascot costume in 1968. In this year, the Pacific student body and alumni confirmed that "Badger," which had been the official mascot for decades, would be replaced by "Boxer," the more popular grassroots emblem of the students. The original Badger mascot costume is held in Pacific University's museum collection.
A photo of LeRoy Gamble, Len VanBuren, and Hal Whitbeck [likely left to right]. They are resting under a tree after a Boxer Toss during the 1948-1949 school year. LeRoy Gamble graduated in the Class of 1950 and served as principal at Forest Grove High School for many years. Hal Whitbeck graduated in the Class of 1949 and was a high school teacher and coach for many years.
Students gather in a field at Pacific University to watch a Boxer Toss. Boxer Tosses were events where the bronze statue of Boxer would be fought over by a crowd of students, all wanting to have the statue of Boxer for themselves or their club.
Pacific University Badgers engaged in a basketball game against Willamette. Pacific's mascot was the Badgers until it was changed to the Boxers in 1967.
A group of Pacific University fraternity members hold Boxer after they rescued him from would-be snatchers. Left to right are: T. Fishburn, Ed Bennett, Class of 1941, John Uchiyama, Class of 1939, Ed Goddard, Class of 1940, Lewis Merz, Class of 1939, and, in the center, holding Boxer, Myrl Barkhurst, Class of 1939.
Nine Pacific University students (8 male, 1 female) holding large canes seated around a banquet table. "Boxer," a Chinese bronze statue of a qilin that would later become Pacific University's mascot, sits in a place of honor on the end of the table. Various banners are hanging behind the students which read '1903' and 'PU 02'. 'Annual Banquet' is written on the end of the table. This banquet probably took place in November 1899 when members of the Class of 1902 were sophomores. It was the first time that students displayed Boxer after having stolen him as a prank in October 1899.
A photograph of the original Boxer statue circa the 1940s. The statue, which was originally a bronze Chinese incense burner, had served as a symbol of Pacific University's school spirit since the late 1890s. For decades, student groups stole and hid Boxer from each other. In this image, which was likely made in 1945, Boxer shows evidence of damage and graffiti that had occurred over the last 45 years, including welding-marks and many etched signatures. The tail is missing.
This photograph is likely the same one described in the October 5, 1945 issue of the student newspaper, The Index: "Pictures of Boxer, taken in the physics labs the night of the freshman reception were shown by Mr. Vanderberg. These closeups were clear enough so that some of the names carved on the dog could be distinguished."
Team photo of the Pacific University baseball team, circa 1960s. The uniforms say 'Badgers' - Pacific University did not adopt Boxer as its mascot until 1968.
A group of male students from Pacific University holding Boxer. They are all dressed in a suit and tie. This photograph was published in Issue II, Volume IV of the 1968 Pacific Today magazine in the 'Do you remember?' section.
A large group of students gathering on a lawn for a Boxer Toss. When a sports team, sorority, fraternity, club or other group got a hold of Boxer, the tradition was to wait a few weeks and then 'flash' him at a public setting. This showed everyone who had possession of Boxer and prompted a surge of spirit. After a few months, the organization would 'toss' out Boxer to the students who would wrestle and fight over the statue until a new holder of Boxer emerged. (-excerpt from a Breif History of Boxer http://www.pacificu.edu/boxercentral/about/history.cfm)
George Tucker, Pacific University Class of 1925, holding "Boxer," a bronze statue that was the symbol of Pacific University. According to a note he wrote on the back of the photograph, this was taken in a field on the outskirts of Forest Grove, Oregon. Another version of this photograph (PUA_MS95_26) includes a note that it was "taken near the bridge where Boxer was hidden by Lenore Conger, a Pacific freshman." The latter quote dates the photograph to 1924-1925. The photograph is hand-colored.
