Funding will not be an issue whatsoever and it will become an on campus attraction.
Tillman sounded like in the meeting that raising $ for it would not be an issue
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Agree. I think it would be really cool and it’s their money to spend.
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So I’m guessing they over fed Shasta and then made themselves known by interacting everyday so there would be some familiarity.
I do think this will get expensive and land being so valuable there would need to be put somewhere it would stay safe regardless of weather, intruders, and eventual campus upgrades around the area.
The Cougar Guard was a subset of my Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.
The photo shown is of the then Captain of the Guard. Richard Poston, a former Marine Sargeant.
There were few problems with Shasta, who never was drugged. The Cougar did have the front claws trimmed back. The teeth were all there.
The most famous Guard story was from the 1950’s, when we annually played A$M. One night before that week’s game a group of Aggies came onto our campus with a big goal: to steal Shasta. They broke the cage door’s lock and got inside. They did not know about the Ledge, where Shasta was at that time. Looking around in the dark the Aggies suddenly experienced Shasta jumping down from the Ledge, landing in their midst. The Aggies ran, and Shasta, sensing play time, ran after them.
Our Campus Police caught The scared-out-of-their-minds Aggies and called The Cougar Guard Captain to advise that Shasta was loose. The Guard arrived, found Shasta nearby, and restored things to order.
Some people believed that this story was myth, designed to make fun of Aggies. However old time Guard members swore it was true, and, after several beers, I decided to believe it. After all, we are talking Aggies.
The Cougar Cage was near our original Student Center.
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Cool story , thanks for sharing. The student center you
speak of was the one before the UC was built ? The
one they called the Cougar Den ?
I thought the cage in the picture was taken from the
cage that was still there in the 80s…south east of
Lynn Eusan Park …looking out to what was, or would be, the student life plaza ?
Glad to hear they did not drug the Shasta.
We’re gonna have Shasta on campus again in a great nice cage. Tillman wants it and he usually gets things done.
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It’s not my top priority for the school but hey if they want it and are willing to build a world class facility for it and maintsin the people and facility for it out of private donations I say go for it.
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The original Shasta Den was near the original Student Center.
The current Student Center opened circa 1967-1968.
By the by it has the sculpture of Shasta jumping a Longhorn because we were to play The Longhorns in Austin in September, 1968.
All students knew that, and loved it.