Bob Ike's blog

there are things to realize

A few of what’s left of the 169 who graduated from Vicksburg High June 1970 will gather 3 weeks from tomorrow at Indian Run Golf Club in Scotts for the 50^th reunion that COVID robbed us of last year. I’ve asked my class president and reunion committee chairman Forrest to include this song in the festivities. It meant a lot to some of back then. I wanted to include it in an e-mail announcing this month’s Zoom meet up. After all, our time has come. One YouTube containing the long (11:04) version was put together by a Vietnam vet, who provided a pastiche of iconic pictures from the 60s for the song to play over. Anyone feeling a little nostalgic for the 60s should give this a look and listen.

my mother-in-law

I had the best mother-in-law. Ruth Olsen was an Ann Arbor girl, raised by an old Norwegian guy who talked funny and bound books for all the UofM eggheads needing to publish their theses. She attended Ann Arbor High and graduated with no one famous, although my dear colleague George Thompson may have been close, but didn’t know her. Mother Gladys, from Iowa farm stock and sharing a birthdate with my wife, kept the family of 3 in line. Ruth went to Dental Hygienists school at U of M and there met husky, handsome Clutch Clark from Pittsburgh, destined for great things in Orthopedics. They eloped and went to a Michigan hockey game to celebrate. First son Bob was born at U Hospital but the greener pastures of Akron City Hospital took them to the Buckeye state where they defiantly proclaimed their maize and blue origins for the duration. A boy, Kathy, and another boy added to the domestic bliss on Silver Lake, with the company of one then two St. Bernards and a Siamese named Howard Cosell adding on. Kids excelled at sports, especially the girl. Clutch contracted pancreatic cancer and died tragically young at 48. Kids went away to school as Ruth faced a life alone. A brief stab at real estate didn’t pan out and she finally moved back to Ann Arbor where she could hang with her old school chums. With Kathy close by, they became closer. I got to enjoy exchanging zingers with her. Then an unexplained downturn in her physical capacities plus a little cough triggered an x-ray which found a big goombah. She was dead in 6 months, just as we were reentering our magnificently refurbished house, which her eyes for style would have surely appreciated. Her ashes sit next to Clutch’s on our bedroom bookshelf and I shall always revere them. Thank you Ruth for giving my dear wife life and nurturing her into the beautiful young woman I was so fortunate to snag. The older she gets, the more she looks like you. And that’s not a bad thing.

See Ruth, youngest son Jim, and first grandchild Orion early ’05. She’d be dead before the end of the year. Orion is a sophomore at U.C. Santa Cruz

more Jackson Browne

“The pretender” was a standby in the old Shoreland Days at U of C. Mary Ann and I debated if we wanted to struggle for the legal tender, which we eventually both did. I don’t know if we even had dark glasses. But each day we got up to do it again, and continue to do so to this day. Fortunately, I found a girl who can fill in the numbers in my paint by number dreams. And each day we get up to do it again. Amen.

mainly a beer run

I wrote this end of March, 2020, just as COVID was descending. Kathy and I were impressed at the working guys keeping things going. When’s their parade?

It was mainly a beer run, off to Castle on the West Side with its fully stocked shelves and impressive collection of IPAs. No outgoing today, with collection of empties suspended because corona. So we’re maybe facing an Alice’s Restaurant deal in our garage if the situation continues. While out there, we stopped at nearby Stadium Hardware for an item we needed. Pulling up in back, we met a group of hardware guys (all guys, some in shorts on this balmy 47 degree day). The doors to the store were closed to customers, but a large rack of cleaning supplies was prominently displayed on a wire rack near the door. I never expected drive-up service at a hardware store, but here the guys were, asking you what you needed then going into the store to find it. No masks or hand sanitizer anywhere to be seen. We got our small thing after only 2 tries. But we marveled at how this store and these guys had been able to adapt, continuing to serve the small parking lot full of folks needing various thingies you can only get at a hardware store. Essential, maybe not, but sometimes life stops without the right thingie, and it is so reassuring to know you can still go out and get such a thing. So hats off to the blue collar guys that keep things going out there in times when we’re just supposed to cower and shelter in place. Life goes on thanks to the blue collar guys. We owe them a parade when this is all over.

in my kitchen

One from the vault. I wrote this 3/20/21 but never posted it. The thoughts are timeless, so why not share them now?

I began to dabble in cooking in high school. My mom, a great cook, had died when I was 10. Dad took his stabs at putting food on the table, but let’s say he did not exactly have the knack. Seeking to improve our fare, I looked into my Mom’s old Joy of Cooking, for which I bought paperback copies that I still use (1), and some of her church recipes, including those she typed out in cursive and draped with an oilcloth cover. What came out was pretty good and it was fun to do. Good cooks ran on my mother’s side of the family, with my Grandma Slater and Aunt Dorie being excellent farm cooks who spoiled this only boy rotten, and with more than just food. I learned much later that it might be in my genes, as my biologic dad was a gourmand who instructed his offspring “approach each meal as if it might be your last”. Dad didn’t mind when I took the lead. U of M didn’t give me much chance to grow on that front, as the West Quad kitchen provided all of our victuals. There were many nights in our Chicago House dorm room we got mighty hungry, but I didn’t have a hot plate. Things changed junior year when I moved into an apartment with Wayne, who conveniently managed Kalamazoo’s Big Boy in summers and knew his way around a kitchen. He taught me a lot. We never made anything fancy but we ate well. Next year, I moved into the North Campus co-ops and lived there for 2 years. It’s a stone’s throw from where I live now. Everybody had to do two jobs. By my second year I learned that head cook for one night a week counted for two jobs. I signed up. I leaned heavily on dear Aunt Dorie, adapting her recipes for 80. Things worked out o.k. except when I chose to put whole peppercorns instead of ground pepper into the beef stew and had to field complaints about “little bombs”. Med school saw another regression, although I had a hot plate in my room at the Shoreland Hotel (“The old folks’ home in the college” – Dylan; it really was a retirement residence before UofC decided to move students in). Where we ate at Burton-Judson didn’t feed us Sunday nights. The only adaptation I recall from those times is hanging a six pack of beer in a plastic bag out my window in winter to keep it cold (we didn’t have refrigerators). My classmate Don found us a subsidized apartment in a high rise near the lake. Our cobbled furnishings did not do justice to the location. We shared cooking duties, Don reproducing family recipes and me doing whatever. Don escaped to his family in Palatine most weekends, leaving the place to me. It was a great place to entertain young ladies, and I learned that a man-cooked meal was an excellent aphrodisiac. Thank you, Aunt Dorie!

On to Mound City, I took the cooking thing even more seriously. The life of an intern wasn’t going to allow much dabbling in the kitchen, so time there had to count! So one of my first big purchases was a big chest freezer, which I still have today, where my output could sit till it was time to thaw, warm, and eat. My kitchen at 18 S. Kingshighway was the size of a postage stamp, smaller than my current walk in closet. But you could still cook stuff there, and my occasional female visitors were always appreciative. My last year in StL I moved to a magnificent 16^th floor penthouse in the same building, site of a grisly gay murder a year or two previously. They were having trouble renting out the place. I didn’t mind. “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts”, and what a view!

It was a bit of a comedown in Ann Arbor when my condo mainly overlooked the parking lot and the hill up to Broadway. But the Huron river was right outside the door around the corner and it was close to the medical center. Back in AA I could revert, food came from ghetto Kroger’s (now torn down) and the old co-op on 4^th street, plus of course the Farmer’s Market. The condo had a decent kitchen and I could entertain, plus feed myself, of course. Aunt Dorie in Royal Oak was a short drive away and I spent many good times eating with them. My Aunt had the whole state scoped for the best produce, and used to do things like bring us 50# of asparagus, tied up in bundles she and her husband Jim made. It was a challenge to get through them all. Once Kathy arrived, I had help. I met a guy who sold strip steaks out of his van in the parking lot of the Med School. Such a deal. “Steak and asparagus” became a staple for us during the latter’s season, and still is.

Purchase of an actual house after receiving a real job offer of course changed everything. There was a deck, grills, and a big kitchen. Let’s say we had a good time. Much has changed in our 36 years hence. During the first Gulf War, we had the kitchen revamped as well as some bathrooms. Much more open, Corian sinks, and new cabinets from Killbuck OH, home of Kathy’s maid of honor. Come 2004, my dad and Aunt Dorie dying the year before and me aflush with inheritance money, came the big revamp. We moved out of the house for a full year and it was worth it. Curiously, the kitchen was deemed perfect and was not touched. It had received a tweak 6 years previously when I almost burned down the house in a homebrewing mishap. Thanks to the insurance, we have a nice Viking stovetop , the previous model melted by the pot of burning wort. We tweaked it February before last having our Killbuck cabinets refaced with maple. Beautiful, and much worth it.

Now Kathy and I abide in paradise. And it’s up to me to provide meals to match. Kathy can cook, too, and is a really good baker, but she defers the whole operation to me. It all begins with the recipes, of course, and we have those aplenty. The Gulf War builders included a bookshelf in our kitchen and on those shelves sit 46 cookbooks. We have a bunch more in our downstairs kitchen (yes, we have 2 kitchens). The stalwarts are there: Rombauer & Becker’s Joy of Cooking (1)(same paperback 2 volume set I’ve had since college, even though I have my mother’s and my aunt’s downstairs), Julia Child’s The way to cook (2). I learn something new from Julia every day. The Culinary Institute of America’s very retro cookbook, very thorough. Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins’ The New Basics Cookbook (3), a pretty and thorough cookbook that looked at some trends when we entered the 90s, which is about when we started attention, then Steaks, Chops, Roasts, and Ribs (4), a cookbook recommended to me by a guy in bar which is our go to reference for anything on the grill, which we do often, even in the winter. One of their slim volumes we like a lot is Madhur Joffrey’s Introduction to Indian Cooking (5). Indian cooking is fussy and complex, but very rewarding. She makes it a little easier. Then there are the “organic” cookbooks, always changing. Some years ago my scientist wife convinced me to record my culinary dabblings in a proper lab book, which I have done. Lately, I’ve been converting the better results to recipes on printed-out 3X5 cards, which feels like publishing, tho’ I don’t think I can enter it on my CV. I’m very meticulous with my entries. Had I been this conscientious when I was doing actual bench research, I might have been more successful. The other working document is the binders. Every day you get everything on your e-mail, right? Well, I get recipes, mainly from Food.com, and boy don’t they look good? Realizing I can’t make them all, I only print out a few. But they go into page protectors and then into the binders, of which there are now 4. Once I get and use a good binder recipe it goes on to a 3X5 card and out of the binder, making room for more. The list of winners is too long to include here, but suffice it to say I truly enjoy my online recipes.

The actual cooking proceeds from all this. The resources are more than abundant: the Viking range, A Kitchen Aid double convection oven right next to the Magic Chef microwave clad in the same stainless steel and looking so much like its big neighbors as to be a little brother. The blue enamel clad Chantel pots we bought after we got married are still serving us well. But my favorite are the crude cast iron jobs that rest on our lowest counter. I have no idea when I got my fry pans. I’m sure they were possessions of those sainted farmer cooks of my youth. I feel privileged to carry them forth into still another decade. I have 2 Dutch ovens. One I bought at a StL garage sale and now lacks half of its handle owing to an unfortunate drop. The other I just bought on e-bay and has legs. Cumbersome in the cabinet but could be helpful at the campsite, if we ever do that again.

The good kitchen is equipped with ample spices and trinkets and mine is. A curious useful trinket has been my brother P-touch labelmaker. Labels come out not only for new spices and other ingredients, but also for leftovers, each dated. My missus dips into these for lunch each day, and appreciates the information. Cooler trinkets I couldn’t live without are my spice grinder, my SodaStream, my scale, and my instant meat and surface thermometer. With Amazon eliminating the gap between wish and fulfillment, who knows what else I might add. Plenty to work with already, so I’m amply supplied for my activities. Let’s eat!

References

Rombauer IS, Rombauer Becker M. Joy of Cooking. New York: Signet, New American Library, 1974 (note, first edition was printed in 1931) https://www.amazon.com/Joy-of-Cooking/dp/0743246268
Child J. The Way to Cook. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1989. https://www.amazon.com/Way-Cook-Julia-Child/dp/0679747656
Lukins S, Rosso J. The New basics Cookbook. New York: Workman Publishing, 1989. https://www.amazon.com/New-Basics-Cookbook-Sheila-Lukins/dp/0894803417
Editors of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Steaks, Chops, Roasts, and Ribs. Brookline MA: America’s Test Kitchen, 2004. https://www.amazon.com/Steaks-Roasts-Editors-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/0936184787
Joffrey M. An Invitation to Indian Cooking. New York: Vintage Books, 1973. https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Indian-Cooking-Madhur-Jaffrey/dp/0375712119

Gesundheitsgier (“health greed”)

When you punch “health greed” into Google translate with the output set to German, that’s what you get. Kathy and I were talking about activities that make you feel so much more healthy that sometimes you approach them with greed for more. At the time, we were out for a long walk in the woods, and sure were feeling better than when we set foot out our front door. Thinking about all the calories burned, muscles used, molecules of insulin sensitized, and heart beats lowered, we thought why not do a whole lot more of this? A veritable greed for that feeling and those benefits, to be sure. I said there’s probably a term for it, and probably in German. And sho’ ‘nuff.

Gesundheitsgier ist unersättlich. Immer noch etwas gesünder werden, mehr Wohlergehen, mehr Funktion statt Verschleiß – Gesundheit, das höchste Gut? Deshalb ficht die Finanzkrise den großen Gesundheitsmarkt bisher weit weniger an als alle anderen Branchen. Die Gesundheitsbranche als Konjunkturmotor?

Which Google translates says, in English

Greed is insatiable. Still getting a little healthier, more well-being, more function instead of wear and tear – health, the greatest good? This is why the financial crisis has so far affected the large healthcare market far less than any other industry. The health industry as an economic engine?

The author is a German urologist*, who keeps quite an extensive blog. You can read the rest of his page long comments here http://blog.lebenswandel.com/tag/gesundheitsgier/

I think his gist is that health becomes so important to people they get greedy for it and seek as much as possible from the medical system, taxing its resources. He states that a wise doctor can modulate this by limiting his/her use of tests/procedures/medications and spending more time talking, explaining, and reassuring. Hard to argue with any of that. I like to think that’s the way I practiced.

*Dr. Günther Heinz Jacobi was an academic until 2008, when he opened his Urologic-Andrologic Medical Practice in Duisburg. He’s been quite prolific, with 157 papers on Scopus, and several books, for both scientific and lay readers. He attended Med School at Johannes Gutenberg-Universitāt in Mainz, Austria, in ’77, two years before I got my degree. Austrian and German medical schools are 6 years, entered straight from secondary school, so ol’ Doc Jabobi and I are about the same age.

And another entry

tendenziell unersättliche Gesundheitsgier zu befriedigen. Zur Rettung des kollektiven Systems fällt einem, der ökonomisch kalkulieren kann, einstweilen nicht viel mehr ein als „Anreize“ dafür zu erfinden, es nicht oder nur sehr sparsam in Anspruch

translating to:

tends to satisfy insatiable greed for health. In order to save the collective system, one who can calculate economically cannot think of much more than to invent “incentives” for not using it or only using it very sparingly

But could we not turn this into something positive? Sure, if our “Gesundheitsgier” has us clamoring to our doctors for more pills to make us feel more well and more unnecessary tests to find out why we’re not, so it can be fixed, that’s probably not a good thing, not only for the health care dollars it wastes. More expense, more adverse reactions, more incidental findings unrelated to how we feel or worse, prompting more testing or even – gasp – surgery. Could that feeling not be turned into a motivation force? My wife and I are both hungry for better health, so we watch what we eat, find ways to manage stress, do things that are fun for us, nurture relationships with others, and get lots of exercise. Perhaps the doctor can have a role not only talking the demanding patient out of tests and treatment, but guiding them to those measures that will help preserve and promote the health they seek. I think everyone should develop a good dose of Gesunheitsgier, then let it power those behaviors that will get us there.

college mascots

While working on my book this morning, I’ve been diving deep into my “Writing and Philosophy” folder. Here’s an item I found there that I thought worth sharing. I know it’s baseball season, but college basketball schedules are being announced and it’s barely 2 months to kickoff at Michigan Stadium. Off season is time to work on conditioning and fundamentals. As a fan, you’ve got to know those team mascots, from Ace Purple to Zippy the Kangaroo. So get going!

College and University Mascots A-Z Index

This is an incomplete list of U.S. college Mascots, consisting of named incarnations of live, costumed or inflatable Mascots.

College Mascots

College and University Mascots

Ace Purple – Official Mascot – University of Evansville (Evansville, IN) Purple Aces.
Ace the Warhawk – Official Mascot – University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Air Dunker – Inflatable Mascot – Murray State University (Murray, Kentucky) Racers. Cousin of Dunker.
Albert E. Gator – Male alligator Mascot – University of Florida Gators. The female version is known as Alberta, commonly used for Lady Gator athletics.
Alphie – Costumed wolf Mascot – University of Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack.
Archibald Eagle – Official Mascot – University of Southern Indiana.
Army Mules – Three mules that act as the Mascots – United States Military Academy
Artie the Fighting Artichoke – Artichoke Mascot – Scottsdale Community College since the early 1970s.
Athena – Female Mascot – Claremont McKenna College in California.
Attila – Costumed duck Mascot – Stevens Ducks in Hoboken, NJ.
Aubie – Costumed Tiger Mascot – Auburn.
Avalanche the Golden Bear – The costumed bear Mascot – Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.
Awesome Eagle – Costumed Mascot – Tennessee Technological University Golden Eagles.
Azul the Eagle – Costumed Mascot – Florida Gulf Coast University.

Baby Jay – Costumed sidekick and smaller version of Big Jay, the Mascot – Jayhawks – University of Kansas.
Baby Owl – second Mascot – Temple University; more of a child-friendly Mascot
Baldwin the Eagle – American bald eagle Mascot – Boston College
Banana Slug – Mascot – University of California – Santa Cruz; replaced the sea lion in 1986
Bananas – Black Bear Mascot – University of Maine
The Battling Bishop – Mascot – Ohio Wesleyan
The Bearcat – Name of University of Cincinnati Mascot.
Beaker – Name of Morehead State University Mascot.
Belle – Costumed female Mascot – Mississippi State University
Ben – Bulldog Mascot – McPherson College
Ben Franklin – Costumed Mascot – University of Pennsylvania, which looks like the real Benjamin Franklin, but wears school uniforms and sports a game face at athletic events.
Benny – Beaver of Oregon State
Bernie – Costumed St. Bernard dog of Siena College.
Bevo – Live Texas Longhorn steer Official Mascot – Texas Longhorns.
Big Al – Costumed elephant Mascot – Alabama Crimson Tide
Big Blue – Lion Mascot wearing a blue king’s crown representing the Old Dominion Monarchs.
Big Jay – Costumed Mascot – Jayhawks – University of Kansas.
Big Red – Main Fighting Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas. Also the blob-like Costumed Mascot – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Daniel Boone like Costumed Mascot – Sacred Heart University Pioneers.
Big Stuff – Eagle Mascot – Winthrop University.
Bill the Goat – United States Naval Academy live goat and Costumed Mascot
The Bird – Costumed Mascot – United States Air Force Academy Falcons
Bison – Blue bison Mascot – Howard University
Bison – Mascot – Lipscomb University and Oklahoma Baptist University.
Black Jack – Costumed Mascot – United States Military Academy at West Point (Army) since 2000
Blaze – Official Mascot – Alverno College Inferno.
Blaze – Official dragon Mascot – University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Blaze – Official maverick (stallion) Mascot – University of Texas at Arlington.
Blitz – Official bearcat Mascot – Willamette University (OR).
Blizzard T. Husky – Husky of Michigan Tech. The T stands –. Blizzard can usually be seen ice skating before home hockey games.
Blue – Live bobcat, one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky. Unlike the other two, he never attends home games because of his species’ shy nature. He lives at the Salato Wildlife Education Center, a state-run facility in Frankfort.
The Blue Blob – Blue fuzzy Costumed Mascot, is one of two Official Mascots for Xavier University (Cincinnati) and is especially popular with younger fans.
Blue Jay – Johns Hopkins University, Polytechnic University.
The Blue Devil – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Duke Blue Devils.
Bobby – Bearcat of Northwest Missouri State University
Bobcat – Bobcat Mascot – Bates College.
Bobcat – Costumed Bobcat Mascot – New York University.
Boilermaker Special – a railroad locomotive replica Mascot (officially) of Purdue.
Boko – Bobcat Mascot – Texas State University.
Boll Weevil – Mascot – University of Arkansas – Monticello, named by school president Frank Horsfall in 1925
Boomer – Bear of Missouri State University.
Boomer – Bobcat Mascot – Quinnipiac University.
Boomer – One – two white ponies – University of Oklahoma that pulls the Sooner Schooner (the other pony’s name is Sooner). There is both a live pony and Costumed Mascot.
Boss Hogg – 9-foot tall inflatable Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas.
Bruiser – Costumed bear – Baylor Bears & the Belmont University Bruins.
Bruno – Brown bear of Brown University.
Brutus – Grizzly Bear of Georgia Gwinnett College.
Brutus Buckeye – anthropomorphic buckeye Mascot – Ohio State University.
Bucky the Beaver – Stoic, determined, furry symbol of American River College in Sacramento, CA.
Bucky Beaver – Nature’s engineer, the Mascot – California Institute of Technology, Caltech, in Pasadena, California
Bucky The Parrot – Costumed parrot is Mascot – Barry University in Florida
Bucky – Costumed bronc is Mascot – University of Texas – Pan American in Texas
Bucky (or Bucky Bison) – Costumed bison Mascot – Bucknell University
Bucky Badger – lovable but mischievous badger – University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Bullet – Live black American Quarter Horse Mascot – Oklahoma State University.
Bully – Both the live bulldog and the costumed bulldog Mascot – Mississippi State.
Burrowing Owl -Mascot – Florida Atlantic University.
Buster Bronco – Official Mascot – Boise State University
Buster Bronco – Official Mascot – Western Michigan University
Butch T. Cougar – Cougar of Washington State. The “T” stands for “The”.
Butler Blue II – Living Bulldog Mascot – Butler University.
Buzz – Costumed Mascot – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Cam the Ram – Live male bighorn sheep Official Mascot – Colorado State Rams. It is also the name – costumed ram.
Camel – Official Mascot – Connecticut College
Captain Chris – Costumed likeness of Christopher Newport; Mascot – Christopher Newport University.
Cardinal Bird – Costumed Mascot – Cardinals from the University of Louisville. Sometimes called Red Bird.
CavMan, aka Chester – Official Mascot – University of Virginia.
Cayenne – Costumed chili pepper – Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cecil Sagehen – Vicious winged Mascot – Pomona College and Pitzer College in Claremont, CA
Champ – Costumed Bobcat of Montana State University. Also the costumed Bulldog Mascot – Louisiana Tech University
Charlie Cardinal – Cardinal Mascot – Ball State University.
Charlie Oredigger – Official Mascot – Montana Tech.
Chief Illiniwek – Official symbol – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini, retired on February 21st 2007
Chief Osceola and his horse Renegade – Official symbols – Florida State Seminoles.
Chip – Costumed buffalo Mascot – University of Colorado
Clawed Z. Eagle – Costumed eagle of American University
Clyde The Cougar – Costumed cougar Mascot – College of Charleston.
Cocky – Costumed Mascot – Jacksonville State University Gamecocks
Cocky – Costumed Mascot – South Carolina Gamecocks
Colonel Ebirt – Costumed Mascot – College of William & Mary Tribe. The name “Ebirt” is “Tribe” spelled backwards and is a green blob dressed in colonial garb.
Colonel Reb – Unofficial Mascot – Ole Miss Rebels. Colonel Reb was recently declared the Unofficial Mascot due to controversy over the nature – Mascot.
Colonel Rock – Bulldog Mascot – Western Illinois Leathernecks. Commonly goes by the nickname Rocky.
“Corey the Cougar“- Friendly Cougar Mascot – SIU
Cosmo – Costumed Cougar Mascot – Brigham Young.
Cowboy Joe – Live Shetland Pony Mascot – University of Wyoming.
The Crusader – Official Mascot – Valparaiso Crusaders of Valparaiso University.
Cubby – Second Mascot – Brown University. It is a young, hat wearing bear appealing to young children.
Cy – Costumed cardinal that serves as the Mascot – Iowa State Cyclones
Cyrus – Costumed (kilt-clad) Mascot – Presbyterian College Bluehose

DIBS (Demon In a Blue Suit) – Blue Demon Mascot – DePaul University
D’Artagnan – Captain – Musketeers – Guard is the Mascot – Xavier University
Demon Deacon – Mascot – Wake Forest University
Diego – Mascot – University of San Diego
Donald Duck – Mascot – Oregon Ducks – University of Oregon
Duke Dog – Costumed Mascot – James Madison Dukes
Doc – Costumed Mascot – Towson Tigers
Dominic – Rambouillet Ram Mascot – Angelo State University
Don – mastodon of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne since 1970
The Don – Mascot – University of San Francisco
Duncan – Dolphin Mascot – Jacksonville University
Dunker – Horse Mascot – Murray State University

Eddie the Eagle – Mascot – Laney College
Eli the Eagle – Mascot – Oral Roberts University
Ellsworth the Golden Eagle – Mascot – SUNY Brockport
The Explorer – Mascot – La Salle University from the La Salle Explorers
Eutectic – Mascot – St. Louis College of Pharmacy

The Falcon – Name – United States Air Force Academy Mascot
The Fighting Okra – Name – Unofficial Mascot – Delta State University since the late 1980s. Has been featured in David Letterman’s “Top Ten Worst Mascots List”.
Fighting Pickle – Mascot – University of North Carolina School of Arts since 1975
Freddie and Frieda Falcon – Costumed Mascots – Bowling Green State University Falcons
Freddy Falcon – Mascot – University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
Friar Boy- Mascot – Providence College
Flash – Mascot – Kent State University Golden Flashes
Flying C – Mascot – Central Michigan University Chippewas

Gael Force 1 – Knight Mascot – Saint Mary’s College of California.
Gaylord – Camel Mascot – Campbell University
General Scott – One of 3 live mule Mascots for Army
George – Colonial Mascot – George Washington University
Gladys – Squirrel Mascot – Mary Baldwin College (from the squirrel on their coat of arms)
Golden Eagle – Marquette Golden Eagles
Glycerin – Female Knight Mascot – University of Central Florida. The female companion to Knightro
Golden Griffin – Griffin as a Mascot for Canisius College
The Golden Knight – Costumed student representing University of Central Florida who rides a white horse, Pegasus
Goldy the Gopher – University of Minnesota
Gompei – Bronzed head of a now deceased goat the Mascot – Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The Governor – Mascot – Austin Peay University
Gunrock the Mustang – University of California Davis
Gunston -Green creature with a colonial tri-cornered hat named after Gunston Hall the colonial-period home – namesake of George Mason University
Gus the Eagle – Georgia Southern University
Gus the Gorilla – Pittsburg State University
Gussie – Lve Northern Goshawk Mascot – SUNY New Paltz

Hairy Dawg – Person costumed as a bulldog, University of Georgia (See also Uga below)
Handsome Dan – Live bulldog, Official Mascot – Yale Bulldogs and the first Mascot adopted by a university in the USA
Harry – husky Mascot – University of Washington
The Hawk – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Saint Joseph’s Hawks; the Mascot flaps its “wings” without interruption (even during halftime) throughout SJU basketball games
Herbie Husker – Costumed Mascot – University of Nebraska
Herky the Hawk – Costumed hawk Mascot – University of Iowa
Herky the Hornet – Costumed hornet Mascot – Sacramento State
Hey Reb – Costumed Mascot – University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Hokie Bird – iCostumed Mascot – Virginia Tech
Hoot – Mascot – Rowan University Profs.
Hooter – Costumed Owl Mascot – Temple University
Hook’em – Costumed Longhorn Mascot – University of Texas
Hoppy – Costumed Bluejay Mascot – Johns Hopkins University
Hornets – Costumed Mascot – Emporia State University
Howie the Hawk – Costumed Mascot – University of Hartford
Howl the Red Wolf – newest Costumed Mascot – Arkansas State University

Ichabod – Mascot – Washburn University representing its namesake’s first name.
Iggy the Lion – Mascot – Loyola Marymount University.

Jack the Bulldog – Live Bulldog – Georgetown Hoyas. There is a Costumed Mascot with the same name.
Jay and Baby Jay – Are costumed Mascots – University of Kansas that are a mythical cross between a blue jay and a sparrowhawk.
Jinx the Jaguar – Costumed jaguar Mascot – IUPUI
Joe Bruin and Josephine Bruin – Bruins of UCLA
Joe Miner – Pickaxe, pistol, and slide rule-toting Mascot – Missouri S&T
Joe Vandal – Costumed Vandal Mascot – University of Idaho.
John Poet – Mascot – Whittier College (both named after poet John Greenleaf Whittier)
Jonathan – husky Mascot – University of Connecticut
Judge – Live black bear Mascot – Baylor University. The name is also given to the inflatable Costumed Mascot.
Jumbo – Elephant Mascot – Tufts University
Junior Smokey – Second costumed blue tick hound Mascot – University of Tennessee that looks younger than the original costumed Smokey (see below), but considers himself as his brother.

Kasey the Kangaroo – University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Costumed Mascot.
Keggy the Keg – of Dartmouth College (Unofficial, proposed by the Jack-o-Lantern humor magazine).
Killian the Gael – Mascot – Iona College.
Knightro – Costumed Knight – University of Central Florida.
King Husky – Live Husky Mascot – Northeastern University.
Klawz Da Bear – Costumed bear – University of Northern Colorado.

Lafitte – Costumed alligator in pirate garb that is the Mascot – University of New Orleans Privateers.
LeeRoy the Tiger – Costumed Mascot – Trinity University (Texas).
Leo and Una – Two live lion Mascots – University of North Alabama Lions.
The Leprechaun – Mascot – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Lightning – Costumed blue Pegasus-like creature that is the Mascot – Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Lil’ Red – Inflatable-costumed boy Mascot – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lord Jeff – Costumed student Mascot depicting the school’s namesake at Amherst College
LU Bison – Costumed bison Mascot – Lipscomb University
Lou Wolf – Live wolf Official Mascot – Loyola-Chicago Ramblers; got a major facelift in 2001
Louie the Laker – Mascot – Grand Valley State University
Lobo Louie – the costumed wolf Mascot – University of New Mexico
Louie the Lumberjack – Mascot – Northern Arizona University
Lucy Lobo – Costumed female wolf companion to Louie Lobo – University of New Mexico
Lulu – Female Bulldog Mascot – Gardner-Webb University

Mac T. Bulldog Bulldog male Mascot – Gardner-Webb University
Magnus – Current Mascot – Cleveland State University
Marauder – Official Mascot – Millersville University (a marauder is a land pirate)
Marco – Costumed Buffalo Mascot – Marshall Thundering Herd
Mario the Magnificent Dragon – Official Mascot – Drexel Dragons
Marvin the Miner – Colorado School of Mines
The Masked Rider – One of Official Mascots – Texas Tech Red Raiders
Mike the Tiger – Live Bengal Tiger Mascot – LSU Tigers, as well as the costumed tiger Mascot.
Mingus – Costumed jazz cat – Official Mascot for Berklee College of Music.
Mingo – Costumed Husky Mascot – Houston Baptist University.
Miss Pawla – Costumed jaguaress – University of South Alabama. She is the girlfriend of Southpaw (see below).
Mr. C (full name – Mr. Commodore) – Costumed Commodore Mascot – Vanderbilt University
Mr. Wuf and Mrs. Wuf – Costumed wolf Mascots – North Carolina State Wolfpack.
MoHarv – Golden Eagle Mascot – University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia.
Mo the Mule – Official Mascot – University of Central Missouri
Monte the Grizzly bear – University of Montana
Montezuma the Aztec Warrior – San Diego State University
Monty the Eagle – Niagara University
The Mountaineer – West Virginia University student who dresses in pioneer costume as the school’s Mascot
Musty the Mustang – Mascot – California Polytechnic State University

Nitro the Knight – Official Mascot – FDU Knights
The Nittany Lion – Mascot – Penn State Nittany Lions
Norm the Niner – Official Mascot – University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Norse – Mascot – Northern Kentucky University, as well as Luther College

Objee the bear – Coast Guard Academy’s Costumed Mascot and, until 1984, a live bear kept on campus.
Ollie the owl – Brandeis University’s Mascot, carrying a gavel (as the nickname is the Judges).
Oski – Costumed Mascot – California Golden Bears.
Otto the Orange – Mascot – Syracuse University.
Owsley – Costumed, burrowing owl Mascot – Florida Atlantic University.
Ozzie – Costumed osprey Mascot – University of North Florida.

Pass – Costumed Mascot – Furman University, who rides the white horse Goliath
Paws – official Costumed Mascot – Western Carolina University Catamounts.
Paws – Mascot – Northeastern University Huskies.
Paydirt Pete – Costumed student who serves as a Mascot for University of Texas at El Paso
PeeDee the Pirate – Costumed student who serves as Mascot for East Carolina University
Peruna – A Shetland Pony who represents the Southern Methodist University Mustangs
Pete & Penny – Two Emperor Penguins dressed in scarfs and stocking caps for Youngstown State University
Peter the Anteater – Mascot based on the “ZOT!”-noise-emitting animal from the comic strip B.C. at the University of California Irvine since 1965
Petey the Stormy Petrel – Costumed Mascot – Oglethorpe University
Philip D. Tiger – Greyish yellow Bengal Tiger in a blue and white basketball jersey of St. Philip’s College. He is mainly on the walls and in promotional pictures of St. Philip’s College. The D. stands for “Da” as in the word “the”.
Phoenix – Costumed Mascot – Elon University (formerly the Fightin’Christians) and – University of Chicago (nickname the Maroons).
Pioneer Pete – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – California State University, East Bay (Hayward, CA)
Pirate – Mascot – Seton Hall Pirates at Seton Hall & also Hampton University’s nickname -ir athletic department and Mascot.
Pistol Pete – Costumed student who serves as Mascot – Oklahoma State Cowboys as well as Costumed Mascots – University of Wyoming and New Mexico State University.
Polar Bear – Mascot – Bowdoin College
Pork Chop – Kid-sized junior Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas
porky – Javelina Mascot – Texas A&M kingsville
Pouncer – Costumed tiger Mascot – University of Memphis
Pounce the Blue Panther – Mascot – Georgia State University
Pounce the Panther – new (for 2007-08) Mascot – Milwaukee Panthers. It is also the official Panther Mascot – Purdue University North Central since 2003.
Power Cat – tiger Mascot – University of the Pacific
Prospector Pete – inflated balloon Mascot – Long Beach State
Prowler – Panther Official Mascot – Eastern Illinois University
Purple Cow – Gold-spotted Mascot – Williams College
Puddles – Official name – University of Oregon duck Mascot
Purple Knight – staff carrying Purple Knight is the Mascot – Saint Michael’s College
Puckman – animated hard-hat wearing walking hockey puck Mascot – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Purdue Pete – Costumed Mascot – Purdue University

Q – popular name of Spike Q. Gonzaga, a live bulldog, one of two Official Mascots of Gonzaga University. The “Q” is in honor of former Gonzaga basketball player Quentin Hall.
The Quaker Man – aka The Fighting Quaker – Puritan-garbed Mascot – Guilford College.

Racer 1 – Live horse Mascot during football games for Murray State University
Raider – 1 of 3 live mule Mascots for Army and the Mascot – Colgate University.
Raider Red – one of Official Mascots – Texas Tech Red Raiders
Rally – Mascot – University of Vermont Catamounts.
Ralphie – Live American Bison Official Mascot – Colorado Buffaloes
Rambling Wreck – 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe Mascot – Georgia Tech
Rameses – Live ram that serves as the Mascot – North Carolina Tar Heels. It is also the name of Costumed Mascot.
Rammy – Mascot for West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Ranger II – 1 of 3 live mule Mascots for Army
Razor the Shark – Nova Southeastern University
Reggie Redbird – Illinois State University
Reveille – Live collie that serves as the Mascot – Texas A&M Aggies and is taken care of by the Corps of Cadets
Rhett the Boston Terrier – Boston Terrier representing Boston University
Rhody the Ram – University of Rhode Island
Ribby – Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas baseball team.
RITchie the Tiger – Mascot – Rochester Institute of Technology.
Riptide – Costumed Pelican Mascot – Tulane University.
Roar-ee the Lion – Official Mascot – Columbia University. Created in October 2005.
Roary the Panther – Official Mascot – Florida International University Golden Panthers
ROC the Panther – Costumed Mascot – Pittsburgh Panthers.
Rocky – Mascot for Widener University,PA. (Retired October 7, 2006.
Rocky – Costumed yellowjacket, Official Mascot – University of Rochester
Rocky the Bull – Mascot – University of South Florida.
Rocky II the Lion – Mascot – Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pride.
Rocky the Rocket – Mascot – University of Toledo.
Rodney the Ram – Mascot – Virginia Commonwealth University.
Rodney the Raven – Mascot – Anderson University.
Rosie – Costumed elephant Mascot – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology “Fightin’ Engineers.”
Roomie the Lion – Mascot – Southeastern Louisiana University.
Roongo the Husky – Mascot for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Rowdy – Unofficial Mascot – Purdue University (for Official Mascot – see Boilermaker Special)
Rowdy – a Roadrunner that is Costumed Mascot – California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB).
Rowdy – a Roadrunner that is the Mascot – University of Texas at San Antonio.
Rowdy Raider – Mascot for Wright State. It used to be a Viking, but was changed to a wolf in 1997.
Rowdy the Riverhawk – is the Mascot for UMass Lowell.
Rowdy the Red Hawk – is the Mascot for Southeast Missouri State University
Rudy Flyer – Mascot – University of Dayton
Ruckus – Red-tailed Hawk Mascot – University of Denver
Rufus – Bobcat Mascot for Ohio University.

The Saluki Dog – Live animal Mascot – Southern Illinois Salukis
Sam the Minuteman – Massachusetts Minutemen and Minutewomen
Sammie Seminole – Athletic logo – Florida State University
Sammy Seahawk – UNC Wilmington
Sammy Spartan – San Jose State University, San Jose, California
Sammy the Owl – Rice University
Sammy the Slug – Banana slug is the Mascot – UC Santa Cruz. Sammy was named Reader’s Digest best college Mascot for 2004.
Sammy and Samantha Bearkat – Mascots of Sam Houston State University.
Sasha – University of Houston’s female Mascot.
The Scarlet Knight – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Scorch – Official Mascot – Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
Scrappy – Owl Mascot – Kennesaw State University
Scrappy – Eagle Mascot – North Texas Mean Green
Scrappy – Costumed anthropomorphized mockingbird the Mascot – Chattanooga Mocs
Scratch – Student in wildcat costume who is one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky, two of which attend games. Scratch is a more child-friendly version of “The Wildcat”, the other Mascot that attends games.
Screech A. Eagle – Official Mascot – Northwestern College (Minnesota).
Scottie – scottie dog Mascot – Agnes Scott College
Scotty the Bear – A tartan clad highlander bear representing the University of California, Riverside.
Scrotie – – Rhode Island School of Design
Sebastian the Ibis – Costumed Mascot – Miami Hurricanes. The Florida ibis according to folklore is the last bird to leave the area before a hurricane and the first bird to come back after the storm. “Sebastian” once carried a corn-cob pipe in its beak.
Seymour D’Campus – Costumed Mascot – Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Shadow – Costumed Mascot – Monmouth University (NJ).
The Shark – Mascot – UNLV. While the school’s teams are named the Rebels (Runnin’ Rebels – men’s basketball only) the Mascot is a shark in honor of former men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian nicknamed “The Shark”.
Shasta – Mascot – University of Houston’s Houston Cougars – Live cougar for many years; currently a costumed anthropomorphic cougar.
Shooter – Second generation Red Fox Mascot for Marist College.
Sir Big Spur – Live rooster at the University of South Carolina since 2006
Skully – Giant red parrot sidekick – official “Marauder” Mascot – Millersville University
Skully – Unofficial Mascot – East Carolina Pirates
Smokey – Live bluetick coonhound, Official Mascot – Tennessee Volunteers. The name is also applied to Costumed Mascot.
Sooner – One – two white ponies – University of Oklahoma that pulls the Sooner Schooner (the other pony’s name is Boomer). There is both a live pony and Costumed Mascot.
Sooner Schooner – Scale replica of a Conestoga wagon pulled by two ponies and driven by the RUF/NEKS – University of Oklahoma.
Southpaw – Costumed jaguar – University of South Alabama.
Sparky – Maroon and gold devil Mascot – Arizona State Sun Devils
Sparky – Eagle Mascot – Liberty University Flames. The name also applies to the dragon Mascot – Illinois-Chicago Flames.
Sparty – Mascot – Michigan State University a comical representation of a Spartan hoplite soldier clad in green with an elongated head. Extremely buff but does not talk much.
Speedy the Geoduck – Mascot – Evergreen State College (Washington).
Spidey – spider Mascot – Richmond Spiders, inspired by lanky pitcher Puss Ellington in 1894
Spike – Name given to several costume bulldog Mascots including Gonzaga, Samford,The Citadel Drake as well as the inflatably Costumed Mascot – University of Georgia
Stag – Male Mascot – Claremont McKenna College.
The Stag – Costumed Mascot – Fairfield University.
The Stanford Tree – a dancing conifer of indeterminate species Official Mascot – Stanford Band Unofficial Mascot – Stanford University.
Stanley the Stag – Costumed Mascot – men’s teams – combined athletic program of Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna Colleges.
The Statesman – Official Mascot – Delta State University.
Sunny the Sunbird Mascot – FPU
Superfrog – Costumed horned toad Mascot – TCU
Sue E. Pigg – female Razorback Mascot – University of Arkansas.
Swoop – Costumed Mascot – University of Utah Utes. “Swoop” is a red-tailed hawk, which is a bird native to the state of Utah.
Swoop – Costumed Mascot – Eastern Washington University and Emory University – both are eagles.
Swoop – Costumed Mascot – Eastern Michigan University Eagles. “Swoop” is a bald eagle whose distingiuishing characteristic is his fighting stance where he tends to poke his chest out in pure confidence.
Swoop the RedHawk – Costumed Mascot – Miami University.
Sycamore Sam – Happy forest animal costume of no particular species but looks like a blue fox or dog; Mascot – Indiana State Sycamores.

T.C. – Costumed Mascot – University of Northern Iowa Panthers
Techh – Live bulldog Mascot – Louisiana Tech University
Temoc – Costumed comet – University of Texas at Dallas.
Texan Riderr – Costumed cowboy – Tarleton State University.
Testudo – Costumed Diamondback Terrapin – University of Maryland College Park.
Thor – Thunderbird Mascot – Southern Utah University.
Thresher – threshing stone Mascot – Bethel College.
Thundercat – physical embodiment – Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm.
The Tiger – Mascot – Princeton University; the first collegiate Mascot and subject – first organized, recorded cheerleading cheer in 1884. Name reaffirmed as The Tiger in a 2007 referendum
The Tiger – Mascot – Clemson University
Tim the Beaver – Mascot – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Timeout – Costumed Bulldog Mascot – Fresno State
Toby – Costumed bear Mascot – Mercer University.
Toby the Tiger – Costumed Mascot – East Texas Baptist University
Tom the Tiger – Live tiger, son of Tom Sr. – University of Memphis
Tommy Titan:the Mascot – University of Detroit Mercy.
Tommy Mo – Costumed Saints Mascot – Thomas More College.
Topper the Hilltopper – Mascot – St. Edward’s University
Touchdown – Also known as the Big Red Bear Official Mascot – Cornell University was a live bear from 1915 to 1939 when it was replaced with a costume.
Tough Louie – lumberjack Mascot – Northern Arizona University.
Traveler – Live white horse the Mascot – University of Southern California who appears during all home football games.
Tree – Mascot – Stanford band since 1975
Triton – Mascot – University of California at San Diego
True Grit – Mascot – University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Truman the Tiger – Mascot – University of Missouri and named for former U.S. president Harry S Truman.
Tuffy – Costumed elephant – Cal State Fullerton Titans.
Tuffy – Ashland
Tusk – Live Mascot – University of Arkansas.
Tyler the Tigerr – Costumed tiger Mascot – DePauw University.

Uga – Bulldogs.

Vic the Demon – Mascot – Northwestern State University
Victor E. Bear – Mascot – University of Central Arkansas
Victor E. Bull – Bull – University at Buffalo
Victor E. Huskie – Mascot – Northern Illinois University
Victor E. Panther – Former (graduated/retired) Mascot – Milwaukee Panthers
Victor E. Viking – Mascot – Portland State University
Vili – Villiami Fehoko, the Unofficial Mascot – University of Hawaii since 2000
Vike – former Mascot – Cleveland State Universityy
Vixen – Mascot – Sweet Briar College

Waldo – Mascot – State University.
War Eagle VI – Golden eagle Mascot – Auburn University.
Wally Pilott -Mascot – University Of Portland a new Mascot is in production.
Wilbur Wildcat and Wilma Wildcat – married Costumed Mascots – University of Arizona.
Wild E. Cat – Official costumed Wildcat Mascot – University of New Hampshire.
The Wildcat – Costumed student who is one of three Official Mascots – University of Kentucky, two of which attend games. It is also the Mascot – Davidson College, but is also named Mr. Cat.
Wildcat Willy – the Mascot – Northern Michigan University.
Will D. Cat – Costumed wildcat of Villanova University.
Willie Warhawk – the costumed hawk Mascot – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Willie the Wave – Costumed Mascot – Pepperdine University
Willie the Wildcat – Costumed wildcat Mascot – Northwestern University and Kansas State University. Despite having the same name, the two have very different appearances.
Wolfie – Mascot – Stony Brook University and Western Oregon University.
WuShock – an anthropomorphic shock of wheat; the Mascot – Wichita State University.

Yellow Jacket – (CU) Costumed Mascot – Cedarville University.
Yeomen – (Oberlin) Mascot – Oberlin College’s Varsity Teams.
YoUDee – (UD) Blue Hen a Costumed Mascot – University of Delaware.
Yosef – (ASU) Mountaineer a Costumed Mascot – Appalachian State University.

Zippy the Kangaroo – Akron University

From https://www.ereferencedesk.com/education/mascots/

ARB-KAL

One of the many joys of living in Ann Arbor is the Amtrak service. So much more relaxing to take a train anywhere than to drive. Chicago is a favorite long weekend destination. But you don’t have to ride the Wolverine all the way to Union Station to have a good good time. About halfway there the station stop is Kalamazoo, as in the “Yes there is a …” T-shirt. I don’t got a gal there, but the one I got sure loves to go. It was the “big city” when I was growing up 15 miles south in little Vicksburg, and I’ve lived in much bigger ones since. But the ‘zoo is a rich and varied place, with much to see and do. To point out the fun of a Kalamazoo train trip to our fellows, I put together the little guide which follows, updated since then.

How about a little train trip ARB -> KAL and back? Easy peasy and way fun. Here’s some information to help you along.

Getting there. Note that you can go to Kalamazoo and back in the same day if you time your trains correctly (1).

Most of the stuff I’ve listed here is accessible by foot. Kalamazoo is a great town in which to stroll about. They have a good bus system (2). Their main transit center is right next to the train station, and many buses headed in all sorts of direction line up in a big lot just south of in. If you want a car to explore the area, things become a little less convenient. There are several agencies at the airport 4.5 miles to the south. A bus directly there leaves from the transit center every 15 minutes and takes 20. And there’s always Uber and Lyft. Enterprise’s office is 3.3 miles west on West Stadium. There’s a direct bus there, too, but it takes 30 minutes. Enterprise will pick you up right at the train station if you call them (269-372-1234) at least an hour in advance of your arrival to remind them of the pickup you needed to have requested at time of booking. Then you have to get your vehicle back to their office on Stadium before they close at 6. If you’ve booked the 354 Wolverine, which leaves at 8:58, you’ve got those 3.3 miles to traverse, probably Uber time, unless you’ve got some local friends you can cajole. Plenty of places you can eat and drink near the station to pass the time. If you have a severe case of siderodromophobia (fear of trains), you can check into Bell’s for treatment, dosing as much liquid courage as you might require, which comes in many delicious varieties there. It’s o.k. You’re walking.

But I get ahead of myself. You’ve just arrived

Pause for some coffee. Right across from the train station, at the southeast corner of Rose (north-south street) and Kalamazoo (east- west street) is unfortunately closed Civil House. Around the corner on West Michigan is the Rose Gold Coffee Company (3). The same distance away, only left down Kalamazoo Ave is the cool Water Street Coffee Joint on a corner triangle lot (4). By far the friendliest coffee shop is a block down the Burdick mall on South, Something’s Brewing. They make their iced coffee with ice cubes made from yesterday’s coffee! Of course, your Yelp will find you some Starbucks nearby, but give the locals a chance. But I miss Civil House, the barista who used to serve me was niece of a Vicksburg ’70 classmate.

If you need a map, or just want to immerse yourself in a kind of place you just don’t see anymore, there’s a genuine full service papers and magazines and everything newsstand a couple blocks away on West Michigan, downtown Kalamazoo’s main drag (5). In the picture on their website looking east, you can see the “spaceship” (explained below).

If you’ve taken the early train and still crave breakfast, check out Food Dance (6) for fancy and good. Studio Grill (7) is an old fashioned diner which always satisfies located nearby on West Michigan right by the newsstand. Be sure to try their homemade hot sauce.

But you’ve come 100 miles on the train and I’m sure you need a beer. Kalamazoo has many good options.

Bell’s (note they also have a music schedule). This is a shrine, neigh a temple (they even have stained glass windows) to craft beer fans, where the whole Michigan scene began many years ago (8).

Arcadia Ales. About a half mile East of Bell’s, just over the river. This is a Battle Creek based brewery with a Kalamazoo outpost (9).

Saugatuck brewery, near downtown (10)

Final Gravity brewing, very close to the train station (11)

One Well Brewing, out by Portage (Uber or car). 13 minute direct bus ride from Transit Center. Great little place. Worth the trip (https://www.onewellbrewing.com/).

Going south on Portage, the beer destination always used to be Latitude 42, just past Centre. But since 2018 or so, the must stop is at Presidential Brewing, just north of Centre (13). The theme is good-natured politics, with beers named for presidents or their mates and pictures of Obama, Clinton, and yes, Trump, quaffing brews. Once the weather gets the least bit nice, there’s their lovely outdoor courtyard with a big fireplace where their good food seems to taste even better.

Latitude 42, further out Portage (7 miles from downtown, or an hour and 17 minutes on the bus with a transfer). Great beer. Good looking full menu. I’ve eaten lunch there, and their stuff is passable, not nearly as good as their beer (14).

Discover Kalamazoo offers a Craft Beer Trail https://fun.discoverkalamazoo.com/checkout/242/discover-kalamazoo/1510/give-a-craft-beer-trail#venues which looks mainly like entering for credit in your phones and getting T-shirt. The Kalamazoo Brew Bus makes the rounds of local breweries every Saturday for a mere 10 bucks http://www.kalamazoobrewbus.com/how-it-works.html. Good for those spots too far apart to stagger to and from.

end of beers

The Burdick Mall isn’t what it once was (auto traffic has returned to Burdick), but most of the storefronts are occupied. I own shoes and a watch from 2 of the stores. Its construction in 1959 was a historic event (17). The Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership has produced an interactive guide (18) to the many things to do there. Yes, there’s a lot. And all on foot.

A few places to eat in that neighborhood:

Rustica, with great European cuisine (19)

Principle right nearby. Equally good. (20)

Fandangos Tapas Bistro (21). Tastes of the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

Don’t forget Bell’s (8) when it’s time to eat. Yes, Bell’s has great food now, too. They’ve even put a dining area off to the side for those who want to get away from the supplicants at the altar (bar) to this shrine for beer. And there’s those stained glass windows.

Hed and watered, might you be ready for a little touring? West toward the WMU and K-College campuses you can run into the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Parkwyn neighborhood, built in 1947 after a group of Upjohn scientists commissioned Wright for the project (22). Out that way is WMU’s Parkview campus, with all the tech and engineering buildings. Standing in front of one, much larger than life, is a statue of Einstein throwing a frisbee( 23). (Note there are many other out-of-the way Kalamazoo attractions described in this article).

If you head out towards Vicksburg on Portage Road, you’ll hit an old fashioned drive in right on a lake(24). The “out of business” sign from earlier this year is down and it looks like there may be new owners. The food is predictably greasy and the waitresses don’t come out on roller skates (but they do come out), but you can’t beat the atmosphere. Just a little north, also right on West Lake, is a much fancier place: The Cove (25). The place is in full flower when the weather allows use of the marvelous deck. But even in the dead of winter, you’ve still got the view plus some of the best fireplaces in the area crackling at your back. Time your reservation right and you’ll ve treated to a sunset over the lake.

A little farther south on Portage and you’ll come to what locals still call “Upjohn’s”, labs and manufacturing on east side with offices across the road. Two other pharmaceutical outfits have since owned it, first Pharmacia and now Pfizer (26). This is where Pfizer ginned up those millions of doses of antifreeze encapsulated COVID spike protein mRNAs. Seems like a place Joe Biden should visit. We used to go there for field trips. Always smelled funny.

If you’re doing more than a day, you’ll need a place to stay. Here are my favorites. Kathy and I have stayed at them all and been satisfied with each one.

The Radisson (aka “Spaceship”)(27): a modern clean hotel right in the middle of things. A little pricy, heavily booked as it hosts many group events

Kalamazoo House B&B. Centrally located just south of the park. I’ve stayed there and it is nice (28).

The Henderson Castle. Elegant place located up by Kalamazoo College campus. I’ve stayed there and it is nice. They’ve added some features since then, like a winery (29).

Between loft conversions in spaces above commercial buildings and new condo construction, there are quite a few living units around the mall and some owners let them out short term. It’s worth consulting AirBnB. Rates are seldom more than, say, for the Radisson and amenities can be quite nice.

Downtown Kalamazoo has a web site you can peruse (30).

Just East of the train station is the Arcadia Festival Place, which often has things going on (31).

And if you’re getting tired of reading, here’s a couple videos. The first, produced by Pure Michigan, has a young guy taking in the town, surprised at all he sees (32) The second is an 8 1/2 minute drone’s eye view of the place(33)

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a semi-pro baseball team that plays at a nice little park East of town (34)

Down the path toward the river is a collection of sculptures known to some as “Kalamazoo’s Stonehenge” (35). Formally titled “The Circular Ruin”, the pillars were erected just before the turn of this century and feature objects representing different eras of Kalamazoo’s history.

The Airzoo is an aerospace and science museum located out by the airport (maybe 5 miles from downtown). Probably Kalamazoo’s biggest tourist attraction. Kathy and I can vouch for it (36).

The Gilmore Car museum is a fur piece from Kalamazoo, about 15 miles from the station to little Hickory Corners, but it’s the biggest car collection in N. America (37).

And if you want to make a pilgrimage 15 miles south and see where Dr. Ike first became an academic superstar (38). So far as I know there are no memorials. One day the old abandoned paper mill there will become a huge deal (39). A beautiful writeup in the monthly Kalamazoo booster magazine Encore showed the project, and described the hopes of the developers, in great detail (40).

I’m sure everyone will want to go. When I first wrote this in ’20, they said they’re aiming for first pull in Fall 2021. I know I sure will be there whenever it happens. And right “downtown” on Main street around the corner from the Tastee Freeze (now a bakery) where we used to hang out in the late 60s is an honest-to-God brewpub with really great beer (41). They have no food, but let you bring it in, like from Jaspare’s Pizza across the street (42), and fried chicken from the Dawg House right across from my old high school (43). There is a fancy-looking new place where I’ve never been on Prairie the south main drag into town: Michelle’s (44). They serve only breakfast and brunch, closing at 3. Just around the corner west from the 4 corners, where once 4 stop signs in a 55-gallon drum served as a substitute for a stoplight, on the inlet to Sunset Lake Vickers’ Lakeside Tavern (45). Named for John Vickers, who in 1831 threw a dam across what was a waterfall on Portage Creek to make a log and grist mill, local grammar nazis appreciating the correct placement of the apostrophe. The backflow from the dam became Sunset Lake, to the delight of generations of water enthusiasts who proceeded. While the food doesn’t always match the surroundings, its deck is the ideal place to wile away a summer day, provided the mosquitos aren’t too thick. For a more cerebral venture, the Vicksburg Depot Museum at the old train station (46) takes you back to a time when this Village was a stop on freight and Grand Trunk passenger lines. I recall back in high school boarding a Grand Trunk at the local station to take me to Detroit to visit my Aunt Dorie. Trains are still important in the fabric of the village, and not just for occasional traffic tie-up. Those distant whistles inspired the naming of the local brewpub, and what kid hasn’t lain awake at night listening to that whistle wondering where the train might be going, perhaps he/she with it.

So allow me to close out this visit to my beloved ‘burg with a video put together by some Vicksburg kids, helped out by someone much more famous (47).

So I hope my descriptions have piqued your interest in Kalamazoo and environs enough so that you actually make the trip. I still consider myself to be from there, even if I only lived 5 years in Vicksburg before splitting for Ann Arbor and never looking back, spending all but 8 of my last 50 years here. I’m fortunate to still have many friends scattered throughout Kalamazoo County and get back there every chance I get. Of course, Kalamazoo was the big city to escape to for us Vicksburg kids. It’s been great to see Kalamazoo develop into the magnet it is now. In 2004, former Governor Jennifer Granholm named Kalamazoo one of Michigan’s “Cool Cities” as part of that boondoggle. For Kalamazoo, even though it’s no longer official, that title’s very appropriate. I hope you can go and see for yourself.

References

Amtrak. https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Metro. https://www.kmetro.com/
Rose Gold Coffee Company. https://www.rosegoldcoffeecompany.com/
Water Street Coffee. https://waterstreetcoffee.com/location/downtown/
Michigan News Agency. http://www.michigannews.biz/
Food Dance. https://fooddance.net/
Studio Grill. http://www.studiogrillkalamazoo.com/
Bell’s Eccentric Café. https://bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/
Arcadia Ale Co. Kalamazoo. http://arcadiaales.com/kalamazoo/
Saugatuck Brewing Co.Kalamazoo. https://www.saugatuckbrewing.com/location/saugatuck-brewing-company-kalamazoo/
Final Gravity. https://www.finalgravitybrew.com/contact-kalamazoo-craft-beer-store
ONE WELL BREWING. https://www.onewellbrewing.com/
Presidential Brewing Company. https://www.presidentialbrewing.com/
Latitude 42 BREWING COMPANY. https://latitude42brewingco.com/our-locations/
Discover ! KALAMAZOO. Give a Craft Brew Trail. https://fun.discoverkalamazoo.com/checkout/242/discover-kalamazoo/1510/give-a-craft-beer-trail#venues
Kalamazoo Breweries Michigan. Kalamazoo Brew Bus. https://kalamazoobreweries.com/listings/kalamazoo-brew-bus/
wttw. !0 StreaatsThat Changed America.#10 Kalamazoo Mall. https://interactive.wttw.com/ten/streets/kalamazoo-mall
Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership. Experience Downtow https://downtownkalamazoo.org/experience/
Rustica Kalamazoo. https://rusticakzoo.com/
Principle Food & Drink. https://principlekzoo.com/
FANDANGO TAPAS BISTRO. http://www.fandangotapasbistro.com/
Parkwyn Village. https://www.parkwynvillage.com/
Hidden Treasures. Encore Magazine 6/1/21. https://encorekalamazoo.com/hidden-treasures/
Yelp. West Lake Drive Inn. https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-lake-drive-in-portage
Cove Lakeside Bistro. https://www.covewestlake.com/
Pfizer. PGS Kalamazoo, Michigan. https://www.pfizer.com/products/pfizer-global-supply/us-manufacturing-sites/kalamazoo
RADISSON HOTELS AMERICA. Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center. https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-kalamazoo-center?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:us+h:MIKALAMA
Kalamazoo House. https://thekalamazoohouse.com/
Henderson Castle. https://www.hendersoncastle.com/
Downtown Kalamazoo Partnership. Supporting the Downtown Community. https://downtownkalamazoo.org/
Pure Michigan. Arcadia Creek Festival Place. https://www.michigan.org/property/arcadia-creek-festival-place
One Day in Kalamazoo | Pure Michigan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7zGX7BGvGQ
Drone Kalamazoo | Michigan | Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. YouTube 1/7/22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7zGX7BGvGQ
Official Site of the Kalamazoo Growlers. https://northwoodsleague.com/kalamazoo-growlers/
Mann S. Why’s That? Kalamazoo’s Forgotten “Stonehenge”. WMUK 7/11/19. https://www.wmuk.org/wmuk-news/2019-07-11/whys-that-kalamazoos-forgotten-stonehenge#stream/0
AIR ZOO. Aerospace & Science Experience. https://www.airzoo.org/
GILMORE CAR MUSEUM. https://gilmorecarmuseum.org/
VCS Vicksburg Community Schools. High School. https://www.vicksburgschools.org/schools/high-school/
Haroldson T. $50 million project unveiled for old Vicksburg paper mill. Mlive.com 1/19/19. https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2017/07/50_million_redevelopment_unvei.html
Mackinder L. Going in Big. Encore Magazine 10/19. https://encorekalamazoo.com/magazine/october-2019/. pp24-33 (&cover)
https://www.distantwhistle.com/
Jaspare’s. https://www.jasparespizza.com/
The Dawg House fka Fink’s Butcher Shop & Deli. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/1vicksburdawghouse/
Yelp. Michelle’s Restaurant. https://www.yelp.com/biz/michelle-s-restaurant-vicksburg?osq=Restaurants
Vickers’ Lakeside Tavern. https://www.vickersbar.com/
Vicksburg Historical Society. Union Depot Museum. https://vicksburghistory.org/union-depot-museum/
Small Town – Vicksburg, Michigan. YouTube 10/29/07. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpwDXiOXgjA

heart warming

I don’t mean to be a tease, but I’m so excited about an entry I’ll be posting later this week or early next, that I had to tender a preliminary. Below is an e-mail I sent to my friend Ana, an attorney in Santa Fe, friend of my brother-in-law Bob. After a very successful career suing doctors, she turned her considerable legal talents to the rights of those bruised by the COVID nazis, and boy are there a bunch of them in Santa Fe. She’s started a foundation www.nmstandup.org and assures me there are similar efforts in most states. Lawyers do save us from things from time to time and maybe this will be one of those instances.

So here’s what I wrote:

Hey Ana

I hope you and Guy are well and enjoying life. I write to update you on a couple things on the COVID front here in AA. Right now, I’m as excited as I used to get when I admitted a patient with a rare autoimmune disease. It came about like this. Last Friday, Kathy’s Dean announced the equivalent of a vaccine passport for the school, making it clear that life would be miserable for those faculty who did not comply. We talked it over and decided to cave, knuckle under, roll up our sleeves, and join the sheeple. We’d been getting concerned about our ability to travel abroad unvaccinated, too. I had an artist friend lined up to gin us up some counterfeit CDC vaccine cards, but those wouldn’t get us past Kathy’s Dean. The recent reports of myocarditis in young men who’d received an mRNA vaccine* had me real concerned, and spurned the digging that’s got me so excited. A PubMed search of “COVID myocarditis” nets 734 citations. I pulled 37 from these, and they sit in a one inch stack to my left waiting to get read. My skimming so far has me reassured that my senescent sexagenarian immune system isn’t going to respond as vigorously to that science fair spike protein as it did in those boys with their vigorous everything, so my ticker will probably survive these shots. But I’m concerned with the subclinical stuff, like low grade heart inflammation that produces no symptoms now but leaves a flabby failing heart in 10 years. COVID affects the heart in many different ways, most immune mediated, meaning a vaccine can potentially kick up the same stuff. I hope to emerge from a dive into those 37 papers with a clearer understanding of just what those possibilities might be. This’ll be a blog for sure, but maybe even a manuscript. Rheumatologists have had a big role in understanding and management of COVID, what’s one more owning up?

I don’t know if you’re integrating this stuff into your legal work. Surely, if I come up with a scary enough array of potential cardiac complications of COVID vaccination, that would be pretty good ammunition for any client of yours wishing to avoid. If you like, I can let you know what I find out.

Best wishes

Bob Ike

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

vaccines again

As the masks come off and normalcy begins to pervade, the issue of vaccination persists. With the common trope at stores that masks are optional for the vaccinated, Kathy and I leave ours off as we’ve been vaccinated plenty over the years: polio, smallpox, measles, mumps, etc. We continue to avoid these COVID science fair experiments out of concern for reactions and autoimmune diseases. I spent a career taking care of folks with those things and have no desire for one of my own. Reports of myocarditis in vaccinated young adults are hardly reassuring.* But the real world intrudes. We love to travel and it’s looking more and more that some sort of proof of vaccination will be a requirement, at least for entry into Europe. We’ve seriously looked into acquiring a counterfeit version of the CDC vaccine record card. Then close to home comes the hammer of the big U. Kathy received an e-mail from her Dean Friday cheerily announcing the school’s version of a vaccine passport plus the existence of safety officers that will check into such things. The unvaccinated must remained masked and distanced, including in class. So we’ve decided to tuck tail, wear the star, and submit. That was the motivation for me to finally review the vaccines. I’d been looking at scientific papers, with descriptions of up to 60 vaccine candidates, including such scary things as adenovirus DNA vectors. Turns out there are only 3 vaccines out there for us Yanks. It’s a pretty simple choice. Do you want some test tube RNA encapsulated in anti freeze or a bit of hair of the dog itself, safely (we hope) disabled but capable of delivering the information to make your cells make spike protein? One shot or 2. Here ya go. Read ‘em and weep.

manufacturer	mechanism	regimen
Moderna	PEG encapsulated mRNA	2 shots, 28 days apart
Pfizer	PEG encapsulated mRNA	2 shots, 21 days apart
Johnson & Johnson	Viral vector (disabled virus which still delivers info to cell on how to make spike protein)	1 shot

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is not approved for use in the U.S. It has an even scarier mechanism of action. To get your cells to make spike protein, you’re injected with an adenovirus – a DNA virus that is one of the causes of the common cold – into which DNA that codes for the RNA that makes spike protein has been spliced. Once in the cell, the cell’s DNA transcribing enzyme makes spike protein RNA that is translated on the cell’s ribosomes into spike protein, just like the COVID virus has. Unlike RNA, which is rapidly degraded in the cell, DNA hangs around. AstraZeneca scientists say the viral DNA won’t integrate into the cell’s chromosomes as the virus doesn’t carry in the enzyme – integrase – it would need to do that. But I think the whole system is just asking for trouble. One spot of trouble that’s emerged already is an increased incidence of blot clots among those receiving the vaccine. Blot clots are a known and sometimes fatal complication of COVID-19 infection. But, hey, AZ is just one shot! Not for me, thanks. The goal for all these vaccines.is always to get your own cells to make coronavirus spike protein, the action arm of the virus that attaches to lung cells and gets things going. When your own cells present newly made spike protein to your immune system, all arms are activated, as opposed to just the antibody response which would occur if you ground up virus and injected it, as all previous vaccines across the ages have been designed. It is for sure a molecular biology tour de force and the labs that designed it are in for multiple Nobels. I’m still a little wary of having my ribosomes hijacked to produce something they never were meant to make, to which a slightly too vigorous immune response might end up attacking my own organs. We’re all part of a huge scientific experiment here and I hope that 5 years hence we’re just telling each other stories about the silly lockdowns and not comparing notes on our new ailments. Time will tell.

5years on?

*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

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