The Andersen Library Blog

Please be aware this post contains content considered harmful, offensive, and inappropriate in contemporary settings. The University Libraries strive to create an accessible, welcoming, and accountable understanding of the historic record.

With Homecoming just around the corner, Willie Warhawk will be busier than ever. Today, the name Willie Warhawk is iconic on UW-Whitewater’s campus in reference to the university’s Warhawk mascot. Yet, how did Willie get his name? The answer to that is not so clear and straightforward.

The name Willie has been associated in some form or another with the Warhawk mascot since at least 1963.[1] At that time, the school’s symbol was a Native American ‘Warhawk’ warrior. A contest was held on campus in 1958 to select a symbol representing the university. The Native American Warhawk warrior was selected as the winning entry because this was “historically Indian country, [and] the Warhawk seemed to be symbolic of the early fighting spirit” of the Native American warriors in this territory.[2]

During the 1960s and early 1970s, the name Willie was used in reference to the Native American warrior, a cherub-styled symbol of that warrior, and as the name of a spirit award for seniors.[3] Despite adopting the Native American warrior as the school symbol, it was not the official mascot, which allowed for variations. In 1963, it was one of the variations, the mini-version of the Native American symbol, when the name Willie was first documented. It was used as part of the 1961 Homecoming promotions and campaign. This version was so popular that it was featured numerous times in the Royal Purple in the following years for advertising purposes and was even a contender in the eyes of some to become the school’s mascot.[4] Over the next few years, the name Willie became the ‘official’ name for the Warhawk in all its forms, thus giving us our first iteration of “Willie Warhawk.” 

By the 1970s, there was a call for changing the university’s symbol from within and outside the campus community to something more culturally sensitive.[5] A competition was held for students to send in submissions for a new university emblem. In the fall of 1972, a hawk was chosen as the winner. [6] While the flying hawk was now the university’s official symbol and, therefore, did not necessitate a name change, the Native American image was still used as a logo for the athletic programs for years.[7]

Despite selecting the flying Warhawk as the new symbol, it wasn’t until 1982 that the university adopted it as the official mascot.[8] To celebrate, the cheerleaders, at halftime during the Homecoming football game in 1983, held a “Name the Warhawk” contest.[9] Unfortunately, the results of this contest were not officially documented. While we have no official results from the contest, the name Willie, starting in 1983, was used in reference to the new Warhawk mascot, giving us our modern “Willie Warhawk.”

While we have no official documentation as to how the name Willie first began to be associated with a symbol of the university, it’s a name we know and love today. Willie Warhawk can be found all over campus at events and in many forms, from plushies to bobbleheads. Keep your eyes peeled for Willie Warhawk during the upcoming Homecoming events!

[1] “Take Home a College Souvenir,” The Royal Purple, May 21, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934854

[2] “’Warhawks’ Is Announced As WSC Athletic Symbol,” The Royal Purple, April 22, 1958, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32716935.

[3] “Spirit Campaign Begins,” The Royal Purple, October 15, 1968, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32935055; “Most School Spirited Senior Awarded,” The Royal Purple, March 17, 1969. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32935087.

[4] Eleanor Kilmek, “About a School Mascot,” The Royal Purple, October 29, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934868.

[5] “Stevens Point Senate Opposes ‘Warhawk,’” The Royal Purple, May 9, 1972, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.33158337; “’Willie Warhawk’ Discriminates Against the Indians on Campus, “ The Royal Purple, March 16, 1977, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.33158473.

[6] “Flying Hawk Sports Emblem,” The Royal Purple, September 26, 1972, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.33158341.

[7] “’Willie Warhawk’ Discriminates Against the Indians on Campus, “ The Royal Purple, March 16, 1977. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.33158473.

[8] “”Son’s Toy Hatches Willy,” The Royal Purple, October 22, 1997, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.34305705.

[9] “Cheerleaders Conduct Name Mascot Contest,” Minneiska, 1983, UW-Whitewater Archives and Area Research Center, 166.

One of UW-Whitewater’s most prestigious fraternities, Lambda Chi Alpha, has a long history of establishing connections between young men attending university on a local and national level. Campus recognized the fraternity as Beta Kappa Nu and Chi Delta Rho. The original Chi Delta Rho fraternity began operation in 1930 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the Central State Teacher’s College (Now UW-Stevens Point). The chapter in Stevens Point would become the Alpha chapter after the Beta Chapter began coordination at Wisconsin State College in Whitewater.[1]

In 1965, Chi Delta Rho officially affiliated with the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.[2] Lambda Chi Alpha started operating as a national fraternity in Boston, Massachusetts in 1909.[3] The fraternity built its foundation around the goal of producing “well-rounded men” through the prioritization of scholarships and fellowship.[4] In celebration of the fraternity’s new affiliation, a plethora of events occurred on campus, including group photographs, a luncheon, presentations by guest speakers from other Lambda Chi Alpha Chapters, appearances from previous Chi Delta Rho alumni, the designation of the fraternity’s sweetheart, “The Crescent Girl”, formal banquet and open house.[5]

Lambda Chi Alpha was known for its academic prowess and taught leadership skills by participating in events like intramural sports. Lambda Chi Alpha quickly became an avid supporter of university athletics and established a tradition of running the game ball to an away game. The first example of this loyalty display came in 1966 when the fraternity brothers set out to La Crosse to support the Warhawk Football Team. The run would conclude once a member of Lambda Chi Alpha made it onto the field and gave a game ball to the referee.[6] Lambda Chi Alpha additionally hosted and participated in many campus events. During May Week in 1969, the group hosted the first “piano bash”, which served as a race between Lambda Chi Alpha and other fraternities to destroy a piano and fit all the pieces through a 6-inch hole.[7] In 1973, Lambda Chi sponsored “Fall Frolics” also during the campus’ May Week festivities. The event was planned to span over three days, and would have a wine-drinking contest, a Jell-O eating contest, vintage cars, a water fight, carnival rides, and all benefits would go to the Whitewater Senior Citizen’s Leisure Club.[8] In 1991, the fraternity started a teeter-totter fundraiser in collaboration with the Alpha Sigma Sorority. Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Sigma members rode a teeter-totter for a combined 100 hours to fundraise $5,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.[9] In 2023, Lambda Chi Alpha won the “Best Greek-Sponsored Event” award after successfully collecting 2,000 pounds of items for the nonprofit organization, “Feeding America”.

Lambda Chi Alpha has served the UW-Whitewater campus through its philanthropy and social opportunities for students. They have also done so while maintaining an exemplary academic standard and often had the highest fraternity grade point average of all the fraternities. [10] On September 30, Lambda Chi Alpha will host an event celebrating their legacies at UW-Whitewater. The event will include tours, a barbeque, a historical exhibit, and Lambda Chi Alpha alumni from throughout their existence. Thank you, Lambda Chi Alpha, for the continued commitment to UW-Whitewater’s academic, social, and philanthropic initiatives!

[1] “Beta Chapter of Chi Delta Rho Adopts State Charter,” Royal Purple, February 18, 1935, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32491114.

[2] “Chi Delta Rho to Become Lambda Chi Alpha on Saturday”, Royal Purple, March 31, 1965, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934919.

[3] Minnieska, 1989, UW-Whitewater Archives and Area Research Center, 176.

[4] Minnieska, 1965, UW-Whitewater Archives and Area Research Center, 160.

[5] “Weekend of Activity Sees Chi Delt Become Lambda Chi Alpha National”, Royal Purple, April 7, 1965, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934920.

[6] “Lambda Chis to Carry Game Ball From Whitewater to Oshkosh”, Royal Purple, November 10, 1966, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934981.

[7] “Dance will follow piano smashing”, Royal Purple, May 5, 1969, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32935097.

[8] “Fall Frolics, September 8”, Royal Purple, September 5, 1972, UW-Whitewater Archives and Area Research Center, 1. 

[9] “Two Greek organizations teeter totter for charity”, Royal Purple, April 24, 1991, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.34305537.

[10] Minnieska, 1991, UW-Whitewater Archives and Area Research Center, 147.

Before the opening of UW-Rock County in 1966, there had yet to be an access point for higher education in the Janesville area. The lack of access to higher education in Rock County created interest from the State Coordinating Committee for Higher Education (CCHE) in bringing university center schools and branch campuses to the area.[1]

In March of 1963, the CCHE submitted a report that identified Rock County as one of six new campuses developed between 1965-69.[2] Ideally, this would put a two-year or four-year university within driving distance of all Wisconsin residents looking for education. Tension rose specifically regarding the UW Center and State College branch campuses, owing to the State Colleges’ belief that any campus closer to a state college than it was to Madison should be run by the State Colleges. The Rock County campus was a prime example, as the Whitewater State School resided only 19 miles northeast of Janesville. Officials started compiling potential building sites once the campus was approved. Initially, officials proposed three possible campus locations in the Janesville area and three in the Beloit area. Janesville ultimately had the edge for a few reasons. Janesville’s site would serve a broader area of Wisconsin than Beloit. The city had adequate sewer and water systems to incorporate into the campus and had a better connection to the highway.[3] The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents would ultimately select a site in Janesville.

After selecting the site, the administration selected Knodle-Rose & Associates Architects to design the new university. Campus chose Knodle-Rose because of its reputation for completing projects quickly, which was especially important given the quick turnaround of the two-year project timeline.[4] In 1965, original plans for the campus were approved, with an estimated cost of about $1,050,000. These plans included an administrative building, an instructional building, and an athletic building. However, the administrators pushed back building the athletic facility to save $350,000 from the project budget. Construction of the administrative and instructional building began on October 6, 1965. The buildings could accommodate 500 students, and campus officials quickly noted that at the rate of Janesville’s growth, they would need to promptly consider facilities that would meet enrollment needs beyond that amount.[5]

In the first phase of selecting campus administration, Charles Miller was named Dean of the new Rock County Center. Miller had experience working with Center campuses after working at the Marathon County Center in Wausau, Wisconsin.[6] During the organization of the new Center, Miller emphasized the function of the centers as an opportunity for research, public relations, and teaching.[7] Other original campus staff of the new center school included student advisor Gerald Henry, librarian, Gary Lenox, four faculty with Ph.D.’s, five instructors with a master’s, and a facilities staff. Campus officially opened on September 6, 1966, to approximately 250 students.

[1] Wisconsin State Journal, October 11, 1963, in Rock County 1964-1968 scrapbook, University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

[2] Jerry L. Bower, The University of Wisconsin Colleges 1919-1997, (New Past Press, Inc.: Friendship, WI, 2002), 77.

[3] Janesville Daily Gazette, November 16, 1964, in Rock County 1964-1968 scrapbook University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

[4] Janesville Daily Gazette, December 14, 1964, in Rock County 1964-1968 scrapbook University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

[5] Janesville Gazette, September 2, 1966, in Rock County 1964-1968 scrapbook University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

[6] Beloit Daily News, September 11, 1965, in Rock County 1964-1968 scrapbook University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

[7] Evansville Review, November 4, 1965, in Rock County 1964-68 scrapbook University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Area Research Center, Andersen Library, Whitewater, WI.

Written by Dexter Neustadt

John William Stearns, president of the Whitewater Normal School from 1878 – 1885, served as a welcome contrast to his predecessor William F. Phelps. The presidency of William F. Phelps was unpopular among the school’s faculty and students. The pedagogy and administration were systematic and mechanical, and Phelps’s term came to a tempestuous finale in 1878. Following the resignation of Phelps, the normal school’s teacher education programs flourished under the presidency of John William Stearns.

Born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1839, John W. Stearns graduated from Harvard University in 1860 before gaining teaching and leadership experience across the United States and abroad. He taught at the Normal School in Winona, Minnesota; he was a high school principal in Canton, Illinois; a Latin professor at the University of Chicago; and the director of the National Normal School in Tucuman, Argentina.^[1] Upon President Phelps’s resignation, the school’s Board of Regents selected Stearns as the next president in 1878.^[2]

During his tenure at the Whitewater Normal School, Stearns drastically improved teacher education, student and faculty life and culture, and the library. A foe of formalism, Stearns was opposed to “excessive bookishness.”^[3] He believed “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”^[4] As such, he approached his leadership with a courteous and kind disposition fostering esteem and cooperation among the students and faculty. Additionally, Stearns’s morning talks to the school left lasting impressions, and he promoted voluntary observance of school regulations rather than strictly enforcing rules. While maintaining high standards of conduct, the normal school became less formal and rigid in contrast to Phelps’s presidency.^[5]

President Stearns directly improved teacher education by advocating for additional time for students to focus on understanding the basic principles so as to eliminate the “mechanical conceptions of teaching.”[6] In 1881, the Board of Regents heard his appeal and allotted an additional six months to the elementary course so that students could concentrate on philosophical comprehension of principles.^[7] The implementation of a shop-work course also enhanced teacher education. Apropos of his opinion about excessive bookishness, Stearns believed that woodworking knowledge would develop all students– especially women– by making them more independent and “self-helpful.”^[8] Finally, Stearns augmented the library by expanding the reference library from 600 volumes to 1,586 volumes.^[9] This addition to the library’s collection meant that Whitewater Normal School could boast the most extensive library of general books of the four normal schools in Wisconsin.[10]

Stearns’s presidency at the Whitewater Normal School ended in 1885 when he accepted an invitation from the State University of Madison as the chair of pedagogy, and students and faculty alike regretted seeing him leave.^[11] While he was known for his broad, quickening, and liberalizing influences on campus, J. W. Stearns inspired students to strive for their highest attainable results.

^[1] Albert Salisbury, Historical Sketches of The First Quarter-Century of The State Normal School At Whitewater, Wisconsin With a Catalog of Its Graduates and a Record of Their Work: 1868-1893, (Madison: Tracy, Gibbs & Co, 1893), 127.

^[2] “President Stearns,” The Whitewater Register, August 15th, 1878.

^[3] Board of Regents, First Biennial Report, 1882-84.

^[4] Salisbury, 9.

^[5] Salisbury, 127.

[6] Mary Janette Bohi, A History of Wisconsin State University Whitewater 1868-1968 (Whitewater: Whitewater State University Foundation Inc, 1967), 62.

^[7] Bohi, 62.

^[8] Bohi, 63.

^[9] Bohi, 61-62.

[10] Bohi, 61.

^[11] Salisbury, 10.

Summer, with so few students on campus, is a convenient time to complete campus renovation projects. Upgrading the Upham Hall Greenhouse is one such renovation project happening on campus this summer. The building is named for Arthur Aquila Upham, an important figure who played a number of key roles in the early history of the Whitewater Normal School as well as the city of Whitewater. 

Arthur Upham taught physics, which was his specialty, in addition to a variety of other classes including chemistry, carpentry, agriculture, zoology, geology, and biology during his tenure at the Whitewater Normal School from 1888 – 1922.[1] Professor Upham believed in hands-on learning and since “science laboratory equipment was virtually nonexistent in any school in Wisconsin” at this time, he taught his students to build their own laboratory equipment.[2] He even brought in his own horse Nancy to his Elements of Agriculture class to provide his students with first-hand experience.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Upham was involved with numerous other campus activities. He established a bird watching club, wrote a number of textbooks, including An Introduction to Agriculture in 1910, and served as the first Vice President of the school from 1919-1922. To the students on campus, Arthur Upham was affectionately known as “Daddy” due to his amiable and fatherly nature.[3] 

Outside of the Normal School, Upham was an active member of the Whitewater community. He served as the superintendent of Whitewater schools from 1895 to 1900, was appointed mayor of the city from 1909 to 1911, acted as master of the Masonic Lodge, served as chairman of the state board of examiners, was actively involved with the congregational church, and fulfilled a number of public speaking engagements.[4] Upon his death in November 1927, a tribute to Upham in the Whitewater Register read that, “few men are loved as he has been.”[5]

Due to the increase in student enrollment during the 1960s, the campus was experiencing a classroom shortage.[6] It is no surprise that when a building dedicated to the sciences was constructed on campus to help alleviate this shortage, it would be named in honor of Professor Arthur Upham. Upham Hall officially opened for the fall semester in 1963 and the greenhouse was added to the building in 1980. Today, Upham Hall continues to honor Arthur Upham’s legacy on campus as the home to the physics, chemistry, biology, and geography, geology, and environmental science departments.

[1]  Richard Carlton Haney, Campus Cornerstones, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater: Biographical Sketches of the People for Whom Buildings & Facilities are Named, (Whitewater, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, 1997), 99.

[2] Haney, Campus Cornerstones, 98.

[3] Haney, Campus Cornerstones, 98.

[4] “Funeral of Arthur A. Upham at Church on Tuesday Afternoon,” Whitewater Register, November 24, 1927. https://irvinlyoung.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=%22upham%22&i=f&by=1927&bdd=1920&d=01011927-12311927&m=between&ord=k1&fn=the_whitewater_press_usa_wisconsin_whitewater_19271124_english_1&df=1&dt=10; Haney, Campus Cornerstones, 99. 

[5]  “A Tribute,” Whitewater Register, November 24, 1927. https://irvinlyoung.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=%22upham%22&i=f&by=1927&bdd=1920&d=01011927-12311927&m=between&ord=k1&fn=the_whitewater_press_usa_wisconsin_whitewater_19271124_english_1&df=1&dt=10.

[6]  “Science Equipment Moved as Science Hall Nears Completion,” The Royal Purple, June 18, 1963. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.32934856.

Suppose you have visited the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County. In that case, you may have noticed a circular-shaped building with many large, picturesque windows as you enter the parking lot. This building, situated within Allen Hall, is recognized as the Gary J. Lenox Library. But who was Gary Lenox, and what made his name worthy of labeling the UW-Rock County Library?

Gary J. Lenox was the first librarian on the University of Wisconsin-Rock County campus and stayed in that position for 30 years. Before UW-Rock County, he earned his bachelor’s in English from the University of Minnesota. He later completed a master’s in library science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966.[1] He was included in the early preparation of the university and played a pivotal role in developing the university’s library resources. During the first semester of campus operations, the campus acknowledged the library as one of the student’s favorite campus places, despite incomplete shelving and collections.[2] In 1972, the library had grown to 35,000 volumes and was noted as the largest in the UW Center System, largely thanks to Lenox.[3]

Lenox was a unique style of librarian, especially for his time. He fiercely believed in students’ intellectual freedom and worked tirelessly to meet the needs of his students.[4] He believed that library collections should have all types of materials available to students, even those that may be questionable. He said, “How can one know what’s good if one has nothing with which to compare it?”.[5] These beliefs drove him to develop extensive collections that would allow students to explore the bounds of their curiosity, both academically and recreationally.[6] Lenox would continue to advocate for intellectual freedom for students until he suddenly passed away at the bookstore he owned in Delavan, WI, in 1996.[7] Lenox’s death shocked the campus and the surrounding community, and they quickly responded by pushing to have the library memorialize Lenox’s legacy.[8] Many university libraries wear titles in honor of members of the Board of Regents or other higher officials, not the librarians who help them operate. Still, Lenox’s influence was enough to justify the name change.

In 2008, the campus celebrated the opening of Allen Hall, which connected the previously isolated Hyatt-Smith Hall and Andrews Hall. This building also included an updated, modern library that would continue to honor Gary Lenox.[9] Gary Lenox solidified intellectual freedom into the culture of the UW-Rock County campus. The library remains a student-focused space and continues to advocate for intellectual freedom today.   

[1] Duane Millard, “Gary Lenox: Teacher Feature…”, The Matrix, May 2, 1968, 4. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.34666540 (accessed on July 7, 2023).

[2] “UW Campus Opens, a Milestone in Education Here”, Janesville Daily Gazette, December 31, 1966, 6D. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.libproxy.uww.edu:9443/us/wisconsin/janesville/janesville-daily-gazette/1966/12-31/page-101/ (accessed on July 7, 2023). 

[3] “UWRC library’s 35,000 volumes: largest in Center System”, The Matrix, February 11, 1972, 7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.34666561 (accessed on July 7, 2023).

[4] Ibid, 7.

[5] Millard, “Gary Lenox”, 4. 

[6] “Library: Place for Casual Study”, The Matrix, undated, 11. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.35002579 (accessed on July 7, 2023).

[7] Scott Milfred, “An arts legacy: Community praises Lenox for contributions”, Janesville Daily Gazette, August 22, 1996, 1. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.libproxy.uww.edu:9443/us/wisconsin/janesville/janesville-gazette/1996/08-22/ (accessed on July 7, 2023).

[8] “911/Commission debate may not be over yet”, Janesville Daily Gazette, November 22, 1996, 11. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.libproxy.uww.edu:9443/us/wisconsin/janesville/janesville-gazette/1996/11-22/page-11/ (accessed on July 7, 2023).

[9] “New Allen Hall Offers Places to Learn, Study and Connect on Campus”, Janesville Daily Gazette, April 13, 2008, 22. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.libproxy.uww.edu:9443/us/wisconsin/janesville/janesville-gazette/2008/04-13/page-22/ (accessed on July 7, 2023).