Mascot History - Freddy the Pheasant
The first mascot of Silver Lake College came to life in July of 1965. Students Judy Boltz, Mary Ann Deschaine, and Judy Linsmeier who were apparently inspired by the writings of Homer created "Cyclops Jr." He was described as a young looking but wise little fellow who, unlike Homer’s one-eyed giants, doesn’t eat people.
Cyclops roamed the hallowed halls of Silver Lake until 1972. It was in
1972 that an outside firm was asked to take the image of a pheasant and
produce a mascot in three different poses. The pheasant was chosen because
of the birds storied past at the college.
The connection apparently goes
back to the 60’s when a mounted pheasant was on loan from the college
biology lab to the college library. As it stood out from the rest of the
library d�cor and seemed to peer at students as they studied the bird
became "a target". Sr. Marcolette Madden, then a student at the college,
began to "dress" the bird for special occasions. Over time the rest of the
student body got into the act and the poor pheasant was even "kidnapped" during homecoming. These acts became tradition among the students.
Eventually, much to the students’ dismay, the pheasant was returned to the
biology lab.
It was in this time of need that Sr. Martina Van Ryzin, came to the college’s aid. While speaking at a grade school she ran into a collector of stuffed birds who was cleaning out his collection. Sister acquired a pheasant, and, as it was Christmas-time, wrapped it appropriately and presented it to the student body. When first accepted as the mascot of Silver Lake the pheasant was named "Super Chief" because the college had "adopted" Manitowoc’s semi-pro football team the Chiefs.
However, this was not what the students called the bird. It had been
dubbed "Freddy" by the students, since it first became a part of their
tradition. Freddy became the pheasant’s official name in 1975 and has
remained since. The only thing that has changed is his likeness. Kent Perrodin, a former student in the late ‘80’s, produced the character
solely used until 1997. Freddy was once again freshened in the summer of
1997. This time Dean Konop, a 1997 alumnus of Silver Lake College,
developed a more current full-color adaptation. This current Freddy is
used on Laker Wear (college athletic apparel), on the Athletic Department
web site and in college promotional brochures. The original Freddy still
resides in the biology lab. The student’s Freddy resides at the college
and continues to be a part of the Silver Lake College tradition.
