Jerry the Bulldog, Arkansas Tech University campus ambassador, will mark his first birthday with a come-and-go reception on Friday, Feb. 23.
The reception will take place from noon-1 p.m. in the Hull Building Student Union, which is located at the north end of Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium. Members of the ATU community and their families as well as alumni and friends are invited to attend.
ATU Student Government Association restored a tradition that had been lost for 76 years on Oct. 23, 2013, when it cast a unanimous vote to install Jerry the Bulldog as campus ambassador.
The original Jerry was a daily part of life at Arkansas Tech in the mid-1930s.
He was owned by William O. Young, who oversaw the business affairs of Arkansas Tech as secretary and bursar from 1917-41 and acted as interim president of the college from 1923-25; and his son, Robert A. Young Sr., who grew up to serve as purchasing agent, business manager, vice president for business affairs and vice president for administration and finance at Arkansas Tech from 1941-84 as well as interim president in 1972. Dr. Robert A. Young Jr. has continued his family’s Tech tradition by serving as president of the Arkansas Tech Foundation and as a loyal supporter of Tech athletics.
The original Jerry spent much of his time on campus at the armory (later known as the Stroupe Building) with National Guard Battery F. The students and guardsmen there adopted Jerry as one of their own.
An article from the Feb. 26, 1936, issue of the Arka Tech student newspaper stated that Jerry was “always present at anything of importance at the armory,” which was a social center of campus at that time and the site of Arkansas Tech home basketball games.
When the original Jerry passed away in late 1937, the headline in the Arka Tech proclaimed “Campus Loses Mascot in Passing of Jerry.”
The first modern Jerry, Jerry Charles Young I, was introduced during a Homecoming Saturday ceremony on Oct. 26, 2013, and served until his retirement on Oct. 1, 2022. He was succeeded by Jerry Charles Young II, who took office on Oct. 1, 2022, and retired on April 21, 2023, following the discovery of a hip condition that would have made it uncomfortable for him to fulfill the duties of campus ambassador.
Jerry Charles Young III was born on Feb. 23, 2023. He became ATU campus ambassador on April 24, 2023.
Jerry attends a variety of campus events and alumni gatherings as well as Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletic competitions.
He maintains social media presences on Instagram and Facebook under the handle @arkansastechjerry.
Visit www.atu.edu/jerry to learn more about Jerry the Bulldog.
