Aimee Carricato
CAS100A- Section #207
Informative Speech
Penn State History: Our Colors & Mascot
Introduction
I. I know that all of you have a T-shirt sporting the Nittany Lion and our Blue and White colors in your drawer.
II. But, if it weren’t for a force of nature and a freshmen just like you and I we might have something different written on those shirts.
III. Our own Collegian has written on this subject of interest many times and it’s story can be easily found on the many websites devoted to Penn State.
IV. Blue and White and the Nittany Lion are as much a part of us through the apparel that we wear as they are to the foundation of this school.
V. The history of the colors and our mascot is different than you would find at any other University, but none-the-less have a powerful place in our hearts today.
Transition: So sit back and let’s take a trip back in time to see where it all got started.
Body
I. As a young school the representation of colors was not a drastic need in the eyes of its founders nor used by many other Universities at the time.
a. But documented on the Penn State historical webpage, under President George W. Atherton, a committee was formed in order to choose colors that represented the school on October of 1887
1. At this time The Pennsylvania State University was called The Pennsylvania State Agriculture Collegeand focused on teaching the science and method behind farming.
2. But none the less, a committee containing only 3 members came together representing the Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes.
3. The duty of this committee was to pick options for color combinations, to be voted upon by the entire student body.
b. The students cast their votes, and surprisingly a unanimous decision was made. Dark Pink and Black were to be the schools official colors.
1. Soon pink and black striped blazers became the latest fashion around campus, and the adopted colors were incorporated into the sports teams’ uniforms.
2. The baseball team was the first to proudly wear the new colors.
c. Although the new uniforms and colors were very fashionable, they were cause for a slight problem.
1. After only a few years of use in the sun the pink dye faded completely to white.
2. On March 19th, 1890 the student body voted again, the 2nd time in 4 years to amend the colors of the school as documented by the Penn State Special Collections.
3. This time keeping the white and choosing dark blue as its compliment.
Transition: One of Penn States proudest Blue and White wearers turned 107 on his last birthday. No, it wasn’t JoePa! It was our fine Nittany Lion mascot.
II. As told by the Penn State historical webpage, The Nittany Lion was fabricated on April 20, 1904 by a freshmen baseball player named Harrison Denning “Joe” Mason.
a. Joe traveled with the baseball team to New Jersey for a game against Princeton.
1. While being shown to the locker room, the guide showed the Penn State team, the Princeton Tiger, the school’s revered mascot.
2. Creatively, Joe Mason put together the story of the Penn State Nittany Lion who was the “fiercest beast of all.”
b. The Nittany Lion was a spin on the Mountain Lions that were once native to Mount Nittany.
1. But Mount Nittany has more history to it then just being a claim to fame for our mascot.
2. A folklore story tells that Princess Nittany was the daughter of a powerful Chief, but fell in love with an English trader.
3. It is said that the Great Spirit felt sorrow for the star crossed lovers and in her sadness caused Mount Nittany to be formed.
c. According to a 2004 issue of The Collegian, Penn State upset Princeton that day 8-1, and afterwards Mason single-handedly pursued a campaign for the college to adopt his creature.
1. As a member of the class of 1907, Mason got to see his lie become truth, when the Nittany Lion was selected as the mascot in 1906.
III. One-Hundred and seventeen years later our school and mascot remain unyielding.
a. Today Penn State apparel is still adorned with blue and white.
1. Many fans even use the term, “Penn State Blue” instead of saying Dark or Navy blue.
2. Blue and white is automatically associated with Penn State and is even been used to put focus on some of it’s best features like the Blue Band and the White Out in the Student Section which is nationally recognized as the best.
b. It is accepted that Penn State was the first collegiate school to have a Lion mascot and the Nittany Lion continues to gain fame as an ever present image of the Pennsylvania State University
1. Today being the man behind the suit is a huge privilege, and is a very competitive process involving an interview and much athletic training.
i. The Lion is present at every football game, many other sports events, visits sick children in the hospital, and makes other charity appearances.
ii. The Mascot competes in spirit competitions such as ESPN’s mascot challenge also.
2. The famous Lion Shrine by Rec. Hall was dedicated during Homecoming weekend on October 24, 1942.
i. The Lion Shrine webpage notes that the Lion was sculpted by Heinz Wameke and Joseph Garatti from a 13-ton block of Indiana limestone and is the most photographed spot on campus.
ii. The Shrine was strategically placed by the donating Class of 1940.
iii. It was strategically surrounded by trees and landscape so that it will never be overshadowed by other buildings.
Transition: Colors that seem to be everywhere and an animal that seemed ordinary stand out in the world of The Pennsylvania State University.
Conclusion.
I. Our collegiate colors and mascot are not only for uniform and entertainment purposes, but are a piece of school history.
II. It is evident that change can be good as far as our colors are concerned and that the most inventive stories of one’s imagination are able to become concrete and real.
III. The Lion and our bold colors are symbols of everything that this University identifies with and will be ever present in all the future success of Penn State.
Bibliography
Bezilla, M. (2005). Penn State: an Illustrated History. In Special Collections. Retrieved July 18,
2007, from http://www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/psua/psgeneralhistory/bezillapshistory/
083s02.htm
Neufield, K. M. (2004, April 20). The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale. The Collegian. Retrieved
July 22, 2007, from http://www.collegian.psu.edu
Nittany Mountain, Joe Mason & the Nittany Lion Mascot. (2006, June 20). All Things Nittany.
Retrieved July 18, 2007, from Penn State University Web site: http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/
nittany.html
AIMEE! you proved me right! EXCELLENT DELIVERY! You used pauses very affectively and you had a very cute
ending. Everyone was attentive throughout your speech because of your interesting content. I also
noticed your facial expressions (how you raised your eyebrows!) You seemed very prepared and I could
tell you're an experienced public speaker. Next time, don't hold back! I think you could significantly
improve your speach skills by walking around the room. I really enjoyed it, way to go girl! -Tamar
Aimee! I really liked the content of your speech-it was very cute and comical! Here are my suggestions for some improvements:
Your speech is very factual so pauses will be important in making sure that the content of your speech is understood.
Another fun fact to include would be to friend THE Nittany Lion as your friend
on facebook. Check to see how many friends he has- I'm sure he has quite a few! You could even incorporate this into your ending
because it seemed a little abrupt. However your ending might depend on how you present it! There are a few distinct words that you
repeted which could be distracting during your speech. In the beginning of your speech you used the word "none-the-less" twice. Towards
the end of your speech you repeted the word "strategic" in the following sentence. I really enjoyed reading your speech and am looking forward
to your delivery tomorrow! :) I learned a lot about the history behind the Nittany Lion and Princess Nittany.
Stop by my room if you have any quesiton tomorrow or give me a call!
Tamar
hey Aimee, your speech is really interesting and your transitions are very subtle. I also really like the topic that you chose.
--Caitlin Burnham
Aimee, you did a good job with eye contact as well as varying your tone quite a bit. Your facts were good and you could tell your head was in the right place for this topic.
-Mark
The clarity of your presentation is what stood out to me. You did a good job with that. You also made good use of your citations and using them in your speech.
- Joe Kincel
Aimee, i thought your speech was very informative and very interesting. I thought all of your information was very good and relevant.
- Matt
Aimee! Great topic choice. It was very interesting I did not know all that history. Great delivery as well you kept my attention on your topic.
- Natalie
Aimee, I thought you did great on your speech and grabbed our attention with an interesting topic. You spoke confidently and used strong eye contact. Good job.
- Alan
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