The First Mascot of 
Youngstown College 
• 
PETE PENGUIN 
Youngstown College pre sents - "pete" Penguin, 1'939 vers ion 
of the newest thing in college mascots. 
Pete Penguin was a well-known name in Youngstown College cir 
cles long before the bird actually made his game-stopping appear~ 
ance at the Westminster-Young stown homecoming game November 18, 
1939. 
The story of Pete would not -be complete without an account 
of the beginning of the nickname. For an explanation of its ori-
gin we mU[3t go to Dr. Castle W. Foard, instigator and hard-working _ ...... ~~ 
sponsor of many of the college sports activities. Since 1930 ' 
mathematics instructor and head of the physics department, Dr, 
Foard at different times has been basketball coach, tennis coach, 
athletic director, and planner of the first Youngstown College 
football schedule and season - in addition ' to his many other 
scientific interests and school activities. 
Dr. Foard tells how the name "penguin" came to be ?pplied to 
the college basketball team. It was in 1932 and the cagers had 
made a long, cold trip to West Liberty State Teachers College in 
West Virginia. The reception was just as chilly as the trip - the 
gym and dressing rooms were cold and un~omfortable, the basketball 
uniforms inadequate. The spectacle of the Youngstown College dele 
gation stamping' about the floor, swinging their arms in an attempt 
to get warm, caused someone to remark that the Youngstowners looked 
like a bunch of penguins - and it looked like somebody thought they 
were Arctic visitors" giving them such a cold welcome. Now we can 
see the resemblance - have you watched Pete, out on the sidelines 
of a cold, muddy, windswept field, shivering from his little black 
head to his funny. tail, vigorously swing ing his flippers? 
And so "penguin" became the Youngstown College nickname and 
for many _years basketball as the major intercollegiate sport car 
ried o~·~pe tradition. With t h e advent of intercollegiate foot 
ball on the .campus in 1938, new interest was aroused. It seemed 
that college colors and cOllege nicknames were just as important 
as coach or rugged gridders. 'l'hus began a controversy over a~, ap 
propriate nickname for the boys who were to carry the fair name of 
Youngstown down the gridiron. 
Ardently the college newspaper, the Jambar, tb~ough its edi 
tor, Howard Rempes, and campus columnist, F'rallk Jaczko, carr ied the 
banner in defense of "Petey" Pen gu in, as he had been called in its 
columns for some time. "Petey" wa s the pet of co-eds and co-eddies 
alike in this Jambar school, they said. "Petey's" picture in little 
thumbnail sketches - wearing a f r e shman cap, a mortar board, carry 
ing a pennant - had illustrated many editions of the campus news 
paper--and, no sir,J "Petey" Pengu in was not going to be run out 
of town if Youngstown College students had anything to say about 
it. 
Pete Penguin 2. 
So Petey Penguin remained the college pet and in the fall of 
1939 John Chase, Youngstown naturalist and geologist, noticed news 
paper announcements which said that Admiral Richard E. Byrd was 
planning to dispose of several penguins brought back from his last 
trip to Antarctica and for the past year resting at Penguin Island 
at the New York World's Fair. Apparently there were plenty of ani 
m.al lovers ready to take ,a pengu:in for a pet, but none of them 
ready to pay the cost -~150~00. 
The idea of a live penguin as a mascot had been in the minds 
of Pre sident Howard W. Jones of Youngstown College and others in 
tere sted in the colle ge for some time, and now Pre sident Jone s, Mr. 
Chase, and L. B. Cooksey of the Mahoning Natural Resources Council 
combined their efforts to secure a pehgliin, hoping to pre sent him 
at the second annual homecoming game. The Mahoning Natural Resources 
Counc iI, through it s pre side nt, l!Ir. Cooksey, sa id that they would 
provide the money, and I,Tr. Cooksey agreed to lodge the bird, should 
one be secured, at temporary quarters at his home. Arrangements 
would be made by the Park Commissioner, Tommy Pemberton, also much 
interested in having a penguin mascot, to house Mr. Penguin at one 
of the parks, preferably the north side Crandall Park, where the 
swans would have to make room for the strange tuxedo-fitted animal. 
After considerable writing, wiring, and telephoning, word was 
received that a penguin would be shipped immediately and hope was 
expressed that it would arrive in time for the homecoming game. 
During the morning and early afternoon hours preceding the game, 
Mr. Chase and Mr. Cooksey anxiously met all trains arriving in 
Youngstown from New York - but no penguin. Instructions had ar 
rived, however, telling in great detail how the experts had taken 
care of penguins. The would-be caretakers read the three pages 
of instructions and wondered what kind of animal they had acquired -
and wouldn't it perbaps have been better to have secured a more con 
ventional and less unique mascot - maybe a Persian kitty or a wire 
ha ired terr ier • 
The score was 34-0 and Youngstown College fans were deeply in 
terested in the fast-movlng third quarter of the homecoming game. 
Word had been given over the broadcasting system tli..at the penguin, 
unfortunately, could not be presented to the interested fans that 
afternoon. Suddenly, two ex c i ted expr e s smen carrying a badly 
shaken, crated pen6uin ran into the stadium. Yes, the game was 
stopped while officials, players, and homecoming crowd got a look 
at the first mascot of Youngstown COllege. Apparently spurred on 
by the interruption, the locals scored two more touchdowns before 
the final gun, running up a score of 46-0. 
Next in the eventful life of our penguin arose such questions 
as care, handling, and public appearances. At his temporary home 
with the Cooksey's, Pete Penguin had established his reputation as 
far as the family pots, a springer spaniel and cat, were concerned 
they simply left the room vvhenever Pete entered after the first en 
counter. 
Pete Penguin 
3. 
The instructions which accompanied Pete were varied and de 
tailed. Here is the letter of instructions rece ived from Leo Mc 
Donald, manager of Admiral Byrd's Penguin Island a t the New York 
World 's Fair~ 
"If penguins were comm.on, or easy to keep, there 
would be many more of them in civilization, but they 
are almost as rare as pandas,' 
Contrary to popular belief, ~ll penguins are not 
from the Antarctic. There are only two of the twenty 
seven species that live on the ice-covered Antarctic 
Continent, and neither of these will survive for any 
length of time in an atmosphere where they can breath 
pollens which cause a growth in their lungs resulting 
in something similar to tuberculosis, which quickly 
causes death. . •••• 
From our own experience, and the experience of those 
who have handled penguins in var ious zoos, we give you 
the following suggestions for their care: 
Do not keep your penguin on or near ice. Penguins, 
like human beings, need sunshine, and they can take a 
great deal of it without distress. 
I quote from instructions by our own expert, Capt. 
von Suboff: 
'When handling penguins, always use gloves and cover 
the wrists. Keep face as far as ' possible from birds, 
their necks can be stretched far, and their motions are 
swift. Pick the birds up under the flippers from the 
rear, pointing the head of the bird away from you. Be 
careful of your suit; as no peng4in is house-broke. 
'Feed them smooth skin (not scale) fish about four 
to six inches long. Be sure fish is fresh, not tainted. 
Feed about twenty to thirty fish a dayJ When frozen 
·fish a~e used, they should be completely defrosted be 
rore feeding~ This can be done by soaking' the fish in 
lukewarm water for about one hour before feeding. Do 
not feed ice-cold fish. If, small fish are not available, 
scale first and then fillet a large fish. Cut in slices 
about five or six inches in length and about one-half 
inc h square. 
'Give the birds a bath every day for at least a h~lf 
hour. Water from the faucet (summer temperature) is cor 
rect. If the bird shivers when he comes out of the water, 
the water is too cold. Don't mistake his drying process 
for shivering. Change the water in the tank or tub every 
day. In very hot weather, if the bird is in the sun and 
starts breathing heavily with its mouth open, sprinkle 
the bird with a fine cool spray.' 
I quote from a letter of Dr. Charles R. Schroeder, 
D. V. M., New York Zoological Park, at present with the 
San Diego Zoological Society: 
'Overloading at a single feeding should be avoided, 
feed two, preferably three times a day. 
'Incorporate a fish-liver oil. Dip one or two fish a 
Pete Penguin 
day in cod-liver oil and feed to the birds. 
'Avoid draft and chilling. Avoid temperature ex 
tremes. 
'Feed flat-bellied fish (rounds - sardines Or smelts) 
and feed immediately on thawing. Be sure to get all ice 
out of frozen fish before feeding. '. 
I quote from instructions by the New York Aquarium 
where they have been handling penguins for many years: 
'It has been our pract ice for years to keep our pen 
guins in still water during the winter when running 
water is too cold for the birds. The water is changed 
nightly and the pool thoroughly cleaned with strong 
soap, but during the day such wastes as are dep9sited 
on the rockwork are washed off into the body of the 
standing water. 
'When the faucet water reac:qes a temperature of 50 
plus degrees Fahrenheit, our practice is to let the 
water run in a small stream through the tank. 
'The staple diet allowed our birds is of herring 
strips twice daily; and smelts · once daily. 
'We have found it advisable, even at the expense 
of the appearance of the land in the pool, to keep 
the rockwork as dryas possible for if the birds can 
not dry their feet when they come out of the water 
they tend to develop tubercular feet which usually de 
stroys them. If the land cannot be kept dry, we have 
found it good practice to take the birds out of the 
pool altogether for an hour or two and exercise them 
on dry hard floors.' 
Tell handler not to attempt to pet the bird until 
he ·is sure of his ground, as the bird's bill is very 
sharp, and he can cut pretty deep. Tell handler to 
have iodine always on hand to paint any cut that he 
gets. 
The birds caru10t be handled roughly. They are not 
afraid of human beings, and will therefore peck at any 
one trying to get familiar with them. This is sometimes 
annoying to a handler who gots cut up by the penguin's 
bill, until he understands how to handle the penguin. 
Don't Ie t a handler take his peeve out on the bird." 
4. 
Those who handled Pete after his arrival at Youngstown College 
found him friendly but not always willing to react according to in 
structions. For example, he didn't like the warm water prescribed 
for his bath, but bathed with great pleasure in ice-cold tubs. In 
many other ways Pete showed originality. 
Additional interesting information was received from the New 
York Aquar ium. Quoting from a letter: "The Youngs town College 
mascot is of the Humboldt breed • •••• Keep his water at 50-53 de 
grees, have the room about 65-70 degrees. Keep him indoors except 
in summer. Try to feed him herring fillets in strips 3 to 4 
inches long besides the smelts as that is what he liked here. 
It is good to play with h:im as penguins are known to get lone some. " 
Pe te Pengu in 5. 
Insurance was an important item for such an expensive mascot, 
so Pete was insured against "fire, lightning , wind, cyclone, tor 
nedo, explosion, theft, burglary, holdup, mysterious disappearance, 
riots, strikes, transportation hazards," and a good many other 
things that are not lik~ly to happen to a penguin. The policy 
issued to Pete indicated that he had to pay an annual premium of 
$5.00 for all this protection. 
Pete Penguin Vias duly ' photographed, made his radio debut over 
W F 1\1 J but would not talk, was chronicled in the Vindicator by 
columnist Esther Hamilton, taken to church by Coach Dwight "Dike" 
Beede, and even sl~nt a day at college. 
With adequate shelter ~ovided at Crandall Park, Pete was 
moved from the Cooksey's home, We next hear of Pete "torpedoing 
the Crandall Park swans." Esther Hamilton wri tes: "Life on the 
lake isn't the same any more. Pete is a disturbing influence. 
He 'dumps' the dignified swans. Down underneath the galaxy 'of 
swans strung across the lake like so many battleships on parade, 
goes Pete. He comes up under a swan and over goes Mr. Swan, heels 
over head, the most surprised bird you ever saw. Moreover, the 
swans don't seem to know quite what to do about it. They wait for 
Pete to dump one of ·them arid then there is a quacking and carrying 
on such as you ' never heard. Pete is like the country cousin who 
come s to town to see his rich re la tions and doe sn 't bella ve properly." 
Alarm was expressed by some over the safety of a penguin when 
placed with swans, but those in the know report that their bets are 
on Pete who seems well able to fight his own battles - a worthy mas 
cot of Youngstown College. 
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For additional information, refer 
to newspaper scrapbook. 
12-6-39