A snapshot photograph of a Pacific University student among a crowd during a "Boxer Toss" in 1960. His ripped clothing is a result of having fought for possession of Boxer, a bronze statue that would later become Pacific's mascot. This photograph appears to have been taken on the edge of Pacific's campus in downtown Forest Grove, possibly on Pacific Avenue.
A snapshot of a "Boxer Toss" on the Pacific University campus in May, 1960. A Boxer Toss would occur when one student group (often, graduating seniors) gave up their possession of the original "Boxer" statue, which was a symbol of school spirit. The men clustered in the center of this photograph are grappling over the statue, which would have been in the middle of the fray. The student newspaper stated that at this particular toss, student Bob Wendel brought the statue to the school just after noon and threw it out on the grass near Warner Hall. Students battled for three hours and thirty-five minutes for ownership of the statue, while 500-600 spectators watched. The fight ranged from Warner Hall to the area surrounding the city police department. During the scrum, Boxer broke into several pieces, but members of the Alpha Zeta fraternity won control of the main body. The newspaper reported that 13 students had to visit the campus infirmary, but "only two had to have stitches," while other injuries included two broken hands, two possible concussions, one dislocated nose, and one broken finger; many others suffered cuts and bruises that did not require medical attention. (Source: "Boxer Toss-out Disrupts Campus Routine Thursday," The Index, May 23, 1960, p. 1).
Jean Allin, Class of 1939, standing next to the gravestone where Boxer was reported to have been hidden. Members of the Gamma Sigma fraternity would unscrew a metal plate on the gravestone to reveal the mascot inside.
Glen Rice '38 and Don Lucas '38 lean against a gravestone in Mountain View Cemetery in Forest Grove. Rice and Lucas were members of the Gamma Sigma fraternity. The Gammas reputedly hid Boxer behind a metal plate on this gravestone. Rice and Lucas both went on to become doctors after joining the military and serving in World War II.
Photograph of the statue Ming, which a group at the University tried to use as a replacement for Boxer when the Boxer statue went missing for an extended period in the 1940s.
Two Pacific University students pose with a wooden statue that was meant to stand in for the school's original bronze "Boxer" mascot, probably around 1980. The original Boxer statue had been missing for about ten years when this photograph was taken. Students used this wooden statue as a temporary symbolic replacement. This photo was taken near the circulation desk in the Harvey W. Scott Memorial Library, later known as AuCoin Hall. The wooden statue is now in the Pacific University Archives.
Photo of students holding the Ming mascot in the 1940s. The Ming statue was presented to Pacific University as a replacement for the Boxer mascot after it disappeared during a Boxer Brawl.The Ming mascot was refused by the student body. What is left of the Ming statue can be found in the Pacific University Center.
A young man, a Pacific University student, poses with the leg broken off of Boxer. The leg likely broke off during the Boxer Toss that was a tradition at Pacific University for many years. See PUApic_015721 for a picture of the same student.
Two students pose holding a leg broken off of Boxer. The leg likely broke off during the Boxer Toss which was a tradition on campus for many years. For a close-up of the leg see PUApic_0015720. For another picture of the young man to the left see PUApic_015722. For another picture of the young man to the right see PUApic_015726 and PUApic_015728.
A group of students and Pacific University president Charles J. Bushnell pose for a group photo outside of Carnegie Hall. Bushnell is holding Boxer and was the university president from 1913-1918. This photo is a part of Charles J. Bushnell Collection (RG.3.106).
